Discovering Truth
by stephSY
Summary: Dolores Umbridge found a book containing life of Harry Potter. She is determined to expose his 'lies' and show what an attention seeking brat he really is.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

* * *

Dolores Jane Umbridge walked down the halls of Hogwarts. She was so deep in her thoughts, she didn't notice the students parting away from her, some in fear and some in disgust.

Unfortunately, she couldn't find any faults in teachers, but she certainly could get that filthy half-breed, Rubeus Hagrid, out of Hogwarts. He had taught the fifth years about thestrals - _thestrals_, out of all things! Such a mindless idiot - which were declared as 'dangerous' by the Ministry. Maybe she could also get that Trelawney out as well. Everyone knew what a fraud she was, so it should be easy.

She was so close to becoming the Headmistress of Hogwarts, she just knew she was. Dumbledore was getting old, and if only one more trouble happened, she would make sure he get kicked out of his position. Then, the Minister would put her into the old man's position! It was just a matter of time.

The thought made her gleeful, and slight smile appeared on her face. Oh, how she longed for power. Maybe she could make another rule to make sure something happened. Perhaps she could use that Potter boy. As she thought about the Potter brat, her good mood vanished instantly. Even after she used a blood quill on him, he just didn't stop spreading his lies. The rumors were that he and his friends made an illegal group to practice spells, which was clearly against one of the rules she made.

Umbridge paced back and forth, trying to think of a way to expose that group. If that happened, surely it will effect Dumbledore and the boy. But the question was, _how?_ How was she going to get proof of that illegal group? Suddenly, a door appeared on the wall, startling her.

Umbridge frowned. It wasn't there mere seconds ago. Cautiously, she pulled her wand out and advanced slowly towards the mysterious door. The door opened to reveal a library. It was the most huge library she had ever saw. Maze of bookshelves that seemed endless filled every part of wall with millions of books filling them in. Beautiful decorations were carved into the delicate woods and she had to admit, it was really gorgeous. However, Umbridge was disappointed. She was hoping it was where that Weasley twin plotted their pranks or where Potter and his friends held that illegal meeting.

She turned around, intending to leave. There was nothing she wanted here. But before she reached the door, the title of the books caught her attention. Every book had a name of a student. _Cho Chang, Colin Creevey, Dennis Creevey..._ She wondered if the students had written these books, but dismissed the idea. There was absolutely no way Crabbe and Goyle wrote a book when they couldn't even fill a page with legible sentences.

An idea struck her and Umbridge immediately put it into action. She strolled between shelves, searching for a book about a particular student. After few minutes, she found a book, much more thicker than rest of the other books. Umbridge leviated them towards her and to her delight, the title showed whose life it contained.

_Harry Potter_

* * *

"Every student must come to the Great Hall in 5 minutes. There will be no exception."

Sickly sweet voice rang out, alerting the students of Hogwarts. They made their way towards the Great Hall, wondering exactly why they were called. Knowing that toad like witch, she probably wanted to humiliate some poor student. To their surprise, the usual benches and tables were replaced by more comfortable plush chairs, which only fueled their curiosity of what was about to happen.

As soon as he entered the Great Hall, Harry made a beeline to where his friends were sitting at where the Gryffindor Table used to be. He greeted them with a smile and acted nonchalant but he couldn't help but wince at the pointed glares of accusations and sneers thrown in his way. Oh, he could ignore the Slytherins easily enough. After all, they were arch-enemies since the beginning of his first year. But the ones he had considered as his friends... That he couldn't handle. Even Seamus, who is his dorm mate, was scowling at him all the way across from his place. Well, he should've expected it since people turned their backs on him the instant something goes wrong and blame it all on him. Even Ron betrayed him last year - which he apologized purposefully. He even tried to make an Unbreakable Oath that he would never do that again. Harry, after realizing what exactly it was, insisted it wasn't necessary until the ginger head finally lowered his wand. It was still rather nice that his best friend was willing to do that - so it should have been no surprise they shunned him. But it didn't make the situation less difficult.

"So does anyone know why we're here?" Ron asked casually, almost sounding he was bored. He viciously glared at anyone who dared to even _look_ in their direction, effectively causing them to turn around and mind their own business.

"Not really. But knowing that Umbitch, she just wanted to announce _another _new rule that the great and powerful Minister approved." Ginny replied while directing her own glares that rivaled her brother's.

"Language, Ginny." Hermione chided, frowning at the girl. Ginny rolled her eyes, playfully smirking at the older girl. "Ever the perfect one, huh, 'Mione? Well, if you don't like that nickname I've personally created, I'll just present other ones for you. Hmm, let's see... How about 'Toad Face'? 'Lady Ugliest'? 'Ms. Pea-sized Brain'? Oh, how about 'Dolores My-Parents-Are-Toads Umbridge'?"

"Honestly, I think your brother's rubbing off on you." Hermione huffed, but a corner of her lip was twitching, letting them know she was barely restraining herself from laughing out loud.

"Hey, why are you dragging me into this?" Ron whined, pouting like a five year old which Hermione was more than happy to point it out. Harry shook his head amusedly at his friends' bickerings, grateful that they managed to make him relax. Their playful banter was cut short when the door opened to reveal Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, Amelia Bones Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Nymphadora Tonks, Alastor 'Madeye' Moody, Remus Lupin, Weasley family, Snuffles and Oliver Wood. All of them save for Fudge, Amelia and the members of the Order of Phoenix looked confused about why they were there.

However, Snuffles seemed to be the only one oblivious to the tension and was just excited to be near his godson. When he spotted Harry, he wasted no time running towards him and started licking his face, all the while barking happily.

"Oi! Snuffles, Get off!"

Finally, the grim let Harry go, who casted a cleaning charm on himself to get rid of the saliva that was all over him, and lied down beside Harry and his friends. Harry grinned, feeling a lot better with his godfather.

After the students settled down, Umbridge stood up. She seemed to be in very good mood and Harry's happiness of seeing his godfather vanished. If she was happy then something very bad will happen, most likely to him. His suspicious was confirmed by Umbridge, who announced that they were going to read about his _life_.

"What?"

"You can't do that!"

Harry barely heard his friends protesting because he was having a hard time processing this. He knew she hated him but _this_? It was outrageous! He snapped back to reality when Sirius began growling next to him. He was baring his sharp teeth so he looked really intimidating. Some people, especially Professor McGonagall and Hagrid, looked angry which comforted him a little. At least he wasn't completely alone.

"_Enough_! We will read these books and we will unveil his lies bring light to the truth!"

At this, Umbridge looked at Harry, as if expecting him to yell out insults, which will only cause him more troubles. So instead, he folded his arms and glared at her, a dark scowl that would make even Snape proud in his face.

"How do we know if this is true? It might be full of rubbish for all we know."

"I assure you Mr Potter that the books contain truths only. Aurors and even Headmaster performed a truth spell on it." Amelia Bones replied. Harry was relieved to see her throwing a disapproving look towards Umbridge and Minister. Not all people in the Ministry agreed to this idea after all.

"This book contains the past and future of Mr. Potter's life and it is divided into seven sections. Classes will be cancelled while we read this book. There will be breakfast break and lunch break and students are to go to their dormitories at nine o'clock and return at seven o'clock." Umbridge continued, though looking a bit disappointed that she couldn't give him more detentions.

Harry groaned mentally. There was no way he could get out of this. Why did these kind of things happened to him?

"You alright, Harry?"

Remus Lupin, who had came to sit next to him, asked, his voice full of concern. Harry shrugged, looking rather calm. But he could feel his anger boiling and was screaming in his mind. Oh, how he hated that woman! As if reading his mind, his friends tried to cheer him up.

"Come on, mate, it won't be that bad. I mean, Snuffles might even have a chance to go outside. Besides, the classes are cancelled! That's at least something, yeah?"

"They'll also have to acknowledge Voldemort's (Ron jumped at this, causing Harry and Hermione, who was a muggleborn and therefore didn't fear him as much as the wizards do, to roll their eyes) return." Hermione said, while frowning disapprovingly at the other teen.

Harry smiled at Ron and Hermione in thanks. His mood improved a lot now, and even more when Ginny squeezed his hand.

"And we will get to know your future. This should be interesting. Knowing your luck, you probably managed to get yourself into more life-threatening adventures." She teased, smiling at him. Her warm hands gave him comfort, and Harry unconsciously leaned into her.

"...so, care to explain what exactly you meant by 'life-threatening adventures'?" Remus inquired, looking concerned. Harry fidgeted nervously, looking anywhere but him but reluctantly replied by gentle nudge from Sirius and pointed cough from Remus. "You'll find it out as we read."

"Fair enough, I suppose."

Well, although he might get grounded for all the ridiculous stunts he pulled - though in his defense, it wasn't entirely his fault - there were definitely benefits of reading that bloody book. Sirius will be free and he could show them that he wasn't lying. His future-self would've fought Voldemort again, so maybe he could also learn how to defeat Voldemort as well.

_Reading my life don't sound too bad_, Harry thought as he watched Umbridge charming the book to read itself aloud.

* * *

**Hello, dear readers! I know this idea is really used a lot but hopefully mine is interesting. Just so you know, I'll just write characters' reactions without the writings and I might skip some chapters. However, I will try not to skip too many chapters at a time. If it's confusing let me know so I will try to make it more understandable.**

**Hope you enjoyed it and please let me know what you think about it. Read and review, please!**


	2. The Boy Who Lived

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

**Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone**

**The Boy-Who-Lived**

* * *

_**[Page 1 - Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive...]**_

"Who are these Dursleys and why are they in this story?" Hannah frowned, cocking her head to the side. Harry sighed at the mention of his relatives but answered nonetheless. "Well, they are my relatives who I live with. I guess that's why the book is mentioning them."

"So you live with your relatives?" Colin frowned, looking disappointed. "You weren't raised by Godric Gryffindor?"

"Uh, yeah, they raised me. Um, what do you mean by Gryffindor raising me?" Harry asked warily, looking completely bewildered. Hermione took pity of him and explained that there were various rumors where and what kind of life he had until he got invitation letter from Hogwarts.

"And one of them says _Godric Gryffindor _took me in? Seriously?" Harry gaped, unable to continue.

"Actually that's one of the sensible ones." Hermione winced when Harry all but shrieked, "_what?_"

"Well, there was one that stated you were turned into a vampire and was raised by them as their prince. Apperantly, I quote, 'even when he was only a year old, Harry Potter managed to prove himself worthy that the vampires decided to make them their future King. Besides, even vampires, as horrible and dark they were, couldn't resist the charm of Harry Potter'."

"Hey, I didn't know you were a vampire prince, Harry. How mean of you to not tell me." Ron snickered at his best friend who was redder than a tomato.

"Merlin, what, me a vampire? How?" As Harry struggled to form a sentence through his splutters, Remus ruffled the teen's hair fondly, noting bemusedly that his honorary godson didn't even tried to protest as he was busy processing the new information.

"That's only starters, actually. There's one that says you are the heir of all Founders and the rightful owner of Hogwarts." Neville piped in and quickly held up his arms in surrender as Harry scowled at him. "What? It's better than the one that says you are the Merlin himself who came back to Earth to save us all from the Dark."

"And it's way better than the one which says you are actually a prince who is looking for his worthy wife. It's the favorite of the entire female population. They listen to it every night as a bed night story and dream of becoming Mrs. Potter." The Weasley twin threw their own two cents in, chuckling at Harry's expression.

"Wait, does that mean Ginnny...?" He trailed off, looking horrified when he saw the said girl start blushing furiously. "Don't worry, I already overcame that ridiculous crush on the Boy-Who-Lived." Ginny quickly assured him.

"Is there anyway to erase that, that horrible _lies _off from the entire universe?" Harry asked desperately. "Sorry, cub, but every wizards and witches know at least one of he stories by heart so unless you are suggesting to obliviate every single magical beings on this planet, we can't help you."

"Yeah, but you can try to sue some authors who wrote those stories." Hermione offered. Harry sighed, looking dejected. "Well, I guess that's the best I would get."

* * *

_**[Page 1 - They didn't think they could bear it if anyone could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters]**_

"What exactly did they mean about that, Mr. Potter?" Professor McGonagall demanded angrily, clutching her wand so tightly that her knuckles went white. Harry gulped as he saw her wand letting off some angry sparks that almost set fire, and answered her carefully. "Uh, my parents and my relatives weren't exactly on good terms with each other and they kind of hate anything related to magic. So..." Harry trailed off, uncertain how he should finish the sentence.

"Harry, they didn't try to hurt you, did they?" Remus asked, eerily calm. Harry could almost believe he was unaffected, if it wasn't for the dangerous glint in his eyes. "Of course not, Remus. I am their nephew, after all." He replied smoothly. Well, they didn't really _hit _him... Okay, so maybe Aunt Petunia swung her frying pan at him whenever he did some mistakes and Uncle Vernon _might_ have smacked him here and there when he didn't complete his chores or something, but they didn't cause any major injuries.

He must have done a rather good job, since Remus and Sirius calmed down a bit. Harry mentally shook his head resignedly. If they were reacting this badly to this one piece of information, he really didn't want to find out what they will do when they learn how Dursleys really were treating him. He expected it had something to do with a lot of yelling, cursing, jail and insanity. Perhaps he should have his wand ready when they reach that part. Merlin knew what they would do, and he would rather not have his friends thrown into Azkaban for killing his relatives or something. Full Body Bind Curse and Silencing Charm would do. Oh, he should get Calming Draught as well, just in case.

* * *

_**[Page 2 - Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work...]**_

"I do not like these muggles." George deadpanned, scowling at the book. "I really, _really _don't like them."

"George, I know they might sound rather rude and selfish but-" Angelina started, looking like she agreed with him but thought she should at least try to defend them, although every part of her mind was screaming not to, since nobody seemed to be doing that anytime soon. However, she was cut off by the said red head as he continued talking.

"How can they _like _being normal and boring stuff? That Vernon Dursley even picked the most _boring tie. _Why would they choose_ that_ instead of the fabulous ones with sparkles, colors and cool pictures? They have some mental issues! They should be sent to hospital or get lock up so they wouldn't spread their insanity to others!" He declared, standing up as he said the last part. People stared at him incredulously save for Fred who was applauding and shouting out his agreements. Trust the Weasley twins to focus on that fact.

"You two should be the ones whose ought to get locked up." Angelina face palmed, looking ready to tear her hair out. Katie patted her shoulders understandingly next to her. Of course, the twins ignored this as they continued ranting about how people should respect fun and enjoy the life.

"Well, they are rather horrid. I mean, listen to how they are treating their child! They are spoiling him rotten. It's a relief that Harry isn't rude or demanding." Mrs. Weasley sniffed disapprovingly at the book. Snape snorted at the comment about Harry but she ignored him and continued. "But I would've liked more if they fed him more. He is far too skinny."

* * *

_**[Page 3 - People in cloaks. Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes...]**_

"People should have been more careful that day." Professor McGonagall pressed her lips together as she thought back to that fateful day. "Just because the Dark Lord had fallen doesn't mean we should be careless and walk around without bothering to disguise themselves as muggles. We could have been found out!"

"Look who's talking. Remind me who it was that sat outside the Dursleys' house and read a map?" The Transfiguration Professor glared at the Weasley twins who smiled innocently back at her.

"Uh, why does that muggle hate cloaks?" A pureblood Hufflepuff asked timidly, confused. What was wrong with cloaks? It was perfectly fine, except it was a bit dramatic and uncomfortable to move around quickly.

"Muggles don't wear cloaks anymore so it's unusual sight for them." His friend explained. It didn't reduce his curiosity, though. "They don't wear cloaks? Why?"

"Well, they think it's rather old-fashioned."

"But-"

"Can someone tell me what the hell is a 'drill'?" Another pure blood demanded, albeit more forcefully. The Muggle Studied Professor answered him. "It's a tool used to create holes onto a surface."

"Holes? Why would they want to make holes of all things?" His friend patted the hopelessly baffled pureblood and told him seriously. "Take my word and just ignore it. Muggles are weird and you will go absolutely barmy before you even begin to understand their so called 'logic'."

The pureblood blinked several times before nodding slowly. "Right..."

* * *

_**[Page 9 - In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.]**_

"How can you even stand sitting still for the _entire day_?" Demanded the horrified pranksters. They looked ready to kill themselves right then and there. "And why were you there in the first place, anyways?" They added as an afterthought to other's amusement.

"Yeah, and why is the Headmaster there as well?" Cho spoke up for the first time. She briefly glanced at Harry before immediately turning away, her cheeks already reddening. However, Harry didn't feel anything for her. Although it was true he had a big crush on her last year, now with Cedric's death and everything that happened, all feelings he felt for her was just gone. Besides, he would be disrespecting Cedric if he went out with his girlfriend right after he died.

"Well, since Harry's living with his relatives and he's not there yet, maybe they're there to place him in their care?" Hermione suggested as she chewed her lips in thought. She listened to the book and beamed brightly when she realized she was correct. However, her good mood vanished when she heard the other part.

"_A letter_? You think you can explain such situation with a mere_ letter_?" Hermione shrieked, causing people to shield their ears to prevent their eardrums from exploding. She didn't seem to even pause for breath. "And you didn't even try to_ talk _to them! Did it ever occur to you that they might _not_ want to be handed a baby?"

She lectured, glaring at full force at the Headmaster with her hands on her hip. Dumbledore stared at the bright witch with barely concealed shock. Forget Voldemort. If it was discovered that something harmful had happened to young Harry by his action, intentional or not, she would kill him herself, and there was no doubt in his mind that more than several others would gladly join her. Unfortunately for Dumbledore, it seemed more probable that Harry wasn't treated as nicely as he thought if the said boy's expression was anything to go by.

Oblivious to his racing thoughts, Hermione continued ranting. "And you left him at the _doorsteps_! _Bloody doorsteps!_ In _November_! Death Eaters could've kidnapped him or he could've had caught a cold or something! What is it with you and lack of_ common sense_?" Hermione seethed, looking ready to rip the Headmaster's head off. She didn't even notice gazes of surprise on her, nor did she acknowledge amused look on the Potions Master's face. Only when Harry jumped up and forced her to sit did she calm down.

"Come on, 'Mione. I'm perfectly fine, see? You don't need to get so worked up by that."

"But you could've been killed! You shouldn't take the matter so lightly!" She argued back, openly glaring daggers at the Headmaster. "I agree with her, Harry." Remus, Ginny, Ron, Neville and several others voiced their agreements. Even Sirius barked once to show that he did as well.

"You know, now I think about it, it's rather funny, isn't it? Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, die from cold right after he defeated the Dark Lord." Harry snorted as he thought about it. "Rita Skeeter would've sold her mother to write that article."

"Harry, what did I just say about treasuring your life?"

Astoria Greengrass watched them bicker with mild interest and curiosity. "Hey, Daphne, do all Gryffindors act like that?" Her sister raised her eyebrow and looked at the still arguing Gryffindors. "If you mean do they all act like immature reckless idiots, then yes."

"Huh. It looks funny though." She commented, smirking slightly as she saw Umbridge trying, and failing miserably, to silence them down.

* * *

_**[Page 18 - He would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley.]**_

"Harry. What does that mean?"

Harry tried his best to hide his wince and tried to act dumb. "Hmm? What does what mean, Remus?"

"Harry, you know very well what I meant." Remus pinched his nose bridge, trying to cage the wolf inside him. The wolf sensed anxiety from his cub and was clawing to get out and kill whoever dared to harm the boy. To be honest, he would love to let him out but now was not the time. After gets a solid evidence that the Dursleys did something to his precious cub would he act.

"Oh, you know, siblings tend to do that. Squabble and mock fight and things like that." Harry shrugged, trying desperately to make them believe. Although they would find the truth sooner or later, he would like to avoid the chaos it would cause as much as possible. Hopefully when he have Calming Draught, his wand, and some ropes. Apparently, he wasn't as good at lying as he hoped and even Snape was frowning at him. Oh, joy. He now had a Death Eater after him as well.

"Hey, the book is reading a new chapter!" Harry exclaimed with false cheer, and to his utter relief, they dropped the matter. However, the Fate, as usual, was not on his side. As soon as he heard the next chapter's title, he knew he would have his hands full with overprotective, absolutely _furious_ friends out for his relatives' blood.


	3. The Vanishing Glass

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

**Hrry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone**

**The Vanishing Glass**

* * *

_**[Page 19 - The Vanishing Glass]**_

When they heard the title, the Weasley twins literally bounced up and down with wide grin, barely containing their excitement. The others just rolled their eyes at them, not that the twins cared.

"Ah, are we going to hear about our infamous Boy-Who-Lived's accidental magic?" Fred asked eagerly, leaning towards Harry. George also bounded to Harry and slung his arm over the younger boy's shoulder.

"Care to explain what happened?" George asked with twinkles in his eyes that scarily resembled Dumbledore. Harry just shook his head, causing the twins to pout. Harry, however, paid them no mind because there were more important things to worry about. He was sure that this chapter will bring up about mistreatments that he received from his relatives. He had no idea how his friends will react to the information and he definitely did not want to find out.

While everyone else were busy trying to get comfortable, Harry casted a Silencing charm and Body Bind curse on Sirius, who froze immediately in his position. Thankfully, he was sitting next to Harry with his front paws on his lap that no one else noticed it.

"Sorry, Sirius." Harry mumbled an apology and thanked Merlin that not even Remus, who was sitting next to Sirius, noticed it. But despite of how suspicious and confused Sirius might be feeling, Harry was determined to at least keep him from running to the Dursleys. He was certainly in no mood to explain to the Minister why his 'pet dog' had tried to kill some muggles.

As the book started reading itself, Harry wondered what he should do to the others.

* * *

_**[Page 19 - The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too.]**_

"Why is there not a single picture of yours, Harry? There should be at least a few of yours." Hermione frowned, half-puzzled and half-suspicious. Her parents almost always took a camera with them so they could take pictures of their family. Merlin knew just exactly how many pictures there were in their house and it wouldn't be an overstatement if she said a stranger would know their family's history just by looking at the pictures.

"Yeah, mate. I'm sure you are much more better looking than him." Ron joked, but he, Fred, George, Ginny and Hermione exchanged glances. Ron and the twins had told her about how they had rescued Harry in their second year, but they didn't give much thought to it, until now and they had a feeling they were going to regret that.

"Oh, I just don't like taking pictures of me. Makes me feel awkward." Harry shrugged, but he could feel beads of sweat trailing down his forehead. "If you say so." Hermione replied, but she didn't seem to be entirely convinced.

* * *

_**[Page 20 - "...I want you to look after the bacon."]**_

"She. Made. You. Cook?" Hermione snarled, but she wasn't the only one. Mrs. Weasley, Professors and members of DA also looked enraged. Harry tried to scoot away from his friend, but with no such luck. "Just when did she make you start cooking?"

"When I was six or seven? When I was old enough to handle stove, I guess." Harry said, trying his best to sound casual. Unfortunately, it only made the others angrier. "But I like cooking. It's really relaxing." He quickly added.

"You shouldn't have been allowed to cook at such a young age. It's dangerous." Hermione muttered, then proceeded to explain what a 'stove' was to the Weasley family. Harry gulped, trying to slow his heart rate down. The Dursleys were dead, that was for sure. But what he wanted to know is what would they do to him? They'll probably lock him in Hospital Wing and don't let him do anything alone that threatened his health even the slightest, which included Quidditch. He shuddered as he imagined living like that.

* * *

_**[Page 20 - Harry was used to spiders...]**_

**Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them...**

"How can you be used to the spiders?" Ron asked shuddering. But Harry didn't say anything because he was getting his wand out as quietly as he could, and was revising all the spells he might have to use.

"Yeah, why are you used to them?" Ginny frowned, but Harry didn't reply and just fiddled with his wand. Ginny frowned even more. She was sure it was because of the Dursleys, but she wasn't sure how and she wasn't even sure if she wanted to find out.

"And what does a cupboard have to do with this?" Remus demanded, narrowing his eyes. Harry was now glaring at the table gloomily, which worried the former DADA teacher more. He merely continued looking at the table muttering about how he would 'explain later'. Just then, the book finished its sentence.

**...and that was where he slept.**

For a second, only silence was heard. People tried to process the new information with stunned expression while Harry mentally count downed.

_5\. 4. 3. 2. 1._

"WHAT?!"

Almost all people screamed in rage, while others who still thought of Harry as a liar just gaped at Harry. They had all thought the infamous Boy-Who-Lived would have lived a perfect life. Not in their wildest dream did they ever even considered him getting _abused_. Professor McGonagall whirled around to Dumbledore and started yelling at him.

"I TOLD YOU! I TOLD you those muggles were the worst kind! But no you didn't listen and said it was SAFE for him! Now what did they do? They ABUSED and NEGLECTED him!" She went on screaming at him, but the Headmaster was lucky that she only did that instead of hexing him. Though seeing how white her knuckles were from gripping her wand too tightly, it looked as if she was barely managing to restrain herself.

Snape was having a very difficult time controlling his expression. He had thought that Potter would have lived like a prince with his relatives serving him from brushing his teeth to giving him meals. He did not expect that he had a life similar to his. In fact, too similar for his comfort. He glanced at Potter, hoping against hope that the book was just loaded with trash but that thought vanished instantly. The teen's face was wary, reluctant and defeated, just like what he looked like when his home life was first discovered.

He knew the old man would try to force them together, claiming since they had so similar background, they should try to understand each other and 'get along'. For once, he was thankful for the Head of Gryffindor's fiery temper for it was the only thing that prevented Dumbledore from sending him a knowing look filled with twinkles that drove him up the wall. He leaned back with a sigh. Since it was apparent the old man would arrange the meeting between himself and Potter, he figured he would try to hold a civil conversation with him. Perhaps by trying to do so, Lily might forgive him for failing so much. But for now, he was going to enjoy the show in front of him.

Draco was having a hard time processing the information as well. His arch enemy, Harry bloody Potter, _abused_? It was complete bullshit! He would never have been treated so badly, especially by his own blood!

But now he thought about it, Potter was far too short and thin than any other students. When he first saw him on the train, he was pale as well, looking far too unhealthy that made him wonder the cause of it for a moment in his mind. Draco bit his lips and started chewing it, a bad habit of his that his parents always scolded him for. So since Potter was abused, it would be unlikely for him to have a friend before. So Weasley was his first friend, which was why he stood up for him when he insulted Weasley on the train. He shook his head ruefully when he thought about that. He could have befriended Potter if he played a little nicer to Weasley! His parents had been slightly displeased when they heard that he made enemy with one of the most influential and rich person in the Wizarding World. After all, it would certainly help to have the savior of the Wizarding World on their side.

Rest of the students started whispering among themselves about the new information they had just received. The twins - who were feeling extremely guilty along with Ron because they had known Harry's relatives had locked him up during their rescue in his second year, and they had done nothing - instantly got out a piece of parchment and started writing on them furiously. People near them glimpsed at the words, 'misery', 'neon pink' and 'stinging curse', and decided not to pry. They did _not_ want to be at the wrong end of the Weasley twins' wands, thank you very much.

But Harry hardly noticed any of these, because he was having a battle of his own. As soon as he properly understood the piece of information, Sirius, despite the Full Body Bind Curse on him - how did he even break free from the curse? - ran for the door, only to be caught by his godson.

"Snuffles! Stop!" Harry desperately tried to pull the dog away from the door. Remus also joined in, because he needed to distract himself from the wolf inside him. The wolf was howling to be let out and go after those muggles, which Remus actually wanted. After wrestling for few minutes, Sirius finally let the teen drag him towards the bench. But he gave him the look that plainly said, 'We are going to talk about this.' Harry sighed in relief and turned around, only to be facing his friends.

"Harry, why didn't you tell us?" Hermione asked softly, hurt that he didn't tell any of them about it and Harry flinched at her expression.

"It never came up." Harry murmured as reply, and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Can we talk about this later, please?" His friends just stared at him and only when Umbridge 'coughed', did they focus on the book, but not without occasional concerned glances thrown in Harry's direction.

* * *

_**[Page 21 - Dudley's favorite punch-bag was Harry...]**_

Tension was so thick that you could almost touch it. Everyone, even Slytherins and people who thought him as liar (except for Umbridge and Fudge, of course), were glaring at the book. He was a bit surprised that it didn't burst into flames or a hole appeared in middle of it by now from the sheer amount of hatred directed towards it. Occasionally, random people threw in some very rude insults at the Dursleys and the professors didn't even bother to scold that person. In fact, they seemed to agree with it whole-heartedly, and Harry could swear he saw some muttering their own selective choices of words under their breath.

Madam Pomfrey was silently berating herself. He had visited the hospital wing numerous times, and she didn't even notice the signs of abuse! She vowed to herself to do a proper health check of the boy as soon as the break came. Harry shivered, looking around wildly until he looked at very determined healer looking straight back at him. This will not end pleasantly for him.

* * *

_**[Page 21 - ...all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's...]**_

"Did they ever buy you anything?" Colin Creevey asked, upset at how his hero was treated. Harry shrugged in reply.

"They did buy me some things in rare occasions. But only when they had to." At this, Remus and Sirius exchanged glances and mentally noted to spoil Harry just a bit on his birthday. Sirius was already brainstorming some ideas for the party. There should be at least fifty presents just from himself. Hmm, perhaps a motorbike, just like his? Oh, and enormous cake as well! He should ask Molly for that. Maybe some fireworks and a game of Quidditch at the end?

After some prodding, puppy eyes and yipping from the black grim, Remus sighed and asked Harry what his favorite color, food, animal and other little things. After their monthly sessions during their schooldays, they understood each other better than anyone else, even when one of them wasn't human. The wolf inside him helped as well by reading the grim's body language.

"Uh, why do you ask that?" Harry blinked, looking confused. Remus gave him a tired smile. "I just wanted to know since I just realized I have no idea about your favorite things and thought I would like get to know you better." He lied smoothly. He wasn't a Marauder for nothing.

"Um, okay. Well, I didn't really think about what I like so do you mind if I answer you later after I think about it?" Remus nodded and turned to focus on the story. So he didn't see Harry eyeing him and Sirius warily, guessing correctly about what they were really planning.

* * *

_**[Page 22 - Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel - Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.]**_

"I suspect those poor people's minds are overrun with the Wrackspurts." Luna commented as she hummed to herself. Cho, Marietta and some other Ravenclaws either sneered or scoffed at the blond. "Yeah, right. Why don't you go tell your daddy about your fantasy creatures and spare us all from the details?"

Harry frowned. He never liked bullies, and he was not going to let Luna suffer this all alone like he had to if he could help it. "Well, _I_ want to hear about it." He declared and scooted closer to Luna in almost protective gesture. "So what are Wrackspurts?" He asked, genuinely curious. Shock flashed within her blue eyes as if she couldn't believe someone would actually listen to her, but it was gone as the girl happily explained.

"Wrackspurts are these invisible creatures that floats in the air and goes into your brain through your ears, causing your brain to go fuzzy, unable to think straight." Harry cocked his head to the side. "Huh. Do you think Voldemort (people flinched, shrieked and jumped at this, which was skillfully ignored) has them too?"

Ron snorted, looking amused. "Imagine that. You-Know-Who actually just an ordinary man with Wrackspurts after him." They snickered, not noticing Hermione shaking her head muttering, "Boys. Completely insane", under her breath.

* * *

_**[Page 25 - "...any funny buisness, anything at all - and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."]**_

"They punished you for accidental magic?" Susan exclaimed, shocked. Just like her aunt, she did not let any act of injustice go past her if she could help it and this was too much for her. How could some people mistreat their own blood this bad was beyond her. "But your aunt should know that you can't control them! She should've saw her sister doing it."

"Doesn't really matter to them. I mean, they hated everything that had to do with magic and they _loathed_ looking anything other than like ordinary people to their neighbors. So by punishing me, they thought it would stop magic to kick into action." Harry shrugged, looking not concerned. Susan blinked, anger slowly building inside her, ready to erupt. Hannah noticed this and immediately directed her attention to something else, _anything_, in order to avoid her temper exploding.

"Susan, look, the twins look like they're up to something. Why don't we join them, hmm?" True enough, the Weasley twins were bent over some parchments and were scribbling furiously on it, occasionally whispering to each other. They had been like that since finding out about the Dursleys, and it was a great distraction source.

"You know what? That's actually a great idea! Come on, let's go!"

So the Weasley twins found themselves being offered help from the two very enthusiastic supporters which they gladly accepted. Who were they to say no to such bright, hopeful faces? Besides, if they were going to pull this prank - they named it Make The Dursleys Life Miserable Mission, or MMM for short - on the Dursleys successfully, they were going to need every help they could get. Already the two Hufflepuffs were bursting with ideas and inspirations. Now, if they could get Hermione to join them. With the smartest witch of the year, even complicated spell works won't be problem to them and nothing will be able to stop them!

Harry blinked, rubbed his eyes and blinked again. Nope, he wasn't hallucinating or hearing things if the dumbstruck look on everyone's face was anything to go by. But he asked aloud anyways.

"Are the twins... Cackling?"

"Yes, they are. Like classical old villains." Hermione face-palmed, groaning. "Why is everyone going insane?

That only made the cackles intensify. Harry shook his head and focused on the book. At that moment, Susan shot a message by her wand into the air, which said:

_For your ideas on pranking the Dursleys, please contact us during break! Does not matter how humiliating or violent or impossible they may be. _

Everyone, including some professors, looked interested in this. Remus was already writing down some stuff with Snuffles barking here and there. Harry frowned when he turned around to see everyone with quills and parchments.

"Am I missing something, here?" No one answered him as they were too absorbed writing down their ideas.

* * *

_**[Page 26 - Next morning, however, he had got up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off.]**_

"Hey, your hair grew up, just like that?" Tonks grinned, slinging her arms around the younger teen's shoulder. "Hey, maybe you're Metamorphmagus, just like me! I mean, it's entirely possible, since we are technically related."

"Wait, we're related?" Harry blanched, his eyes wide with shock.

"You didn't know? Well, every pure bloods are related to each other in some way. My mother was a former Black and your father's mother was a Black." Tonks brightened up. "Hey, since we are related, maybe my mother can take you in, y'know, like adopt you. I might have a little brother." She ruffled his hair, ignoring Harry's indignant squawk of protest. "Oh, this is going to be interesting!"

"Wait, do you actually mean that? Adopt me?"

"'Course I am. There's no way you're going back to those horrid people. It will be fun, with the three of us and some of your friends. I'm sure Remus and Snuffles would stay as well. Right?" The last part was aimed at the two. Sirius, of course, started barking happily while Remus tried to protest.

"I don't think that's a good idea-"

"Ah ah, none of that 'I'm-Dangerous-So-You-Should-Stay-Away-From-Me'. Oh, please, Remmy? Pretty please with a new book on top?" Tonks and Harry gave their best puppy eyes which resulted to the werewolf's reluctant acceptance. Harry and Tonks fist bumped. They had a feeling they will get along with each other pretty well. Sirius let out a bark of laughter at his friend's discomfort and his godson and cousin's antics. Remus shot a betrayed look at him but its effects were ruined by the shadow of smile tugging against the corner of his lips.

* * *

_**[Page 29 - "I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."]**_

"He goes to this 'zoo' place - which I'm guessing is the place where muggles put animals in and look at them - and he talks and compare himself to the snake without even thinking it was at least a bit odd? Am I the only finding this strange?" Astoria demanded, looking seriously confused that it was adorable.

"That is one of the reasons why us Slytherins stay away from Gryffindors. They tend to be very reckless and idiotic, and I believe it is safe to assume you will stay away from them now on? I'd hate it if those habits rub off on you." Daphne commented casually, hiding her smirk when Harry's face immediately heated up.

"What? I was eleven and confused why things like that were happening to me!" He protested feebly when people started snickering at him.

"I think it was very nice of you to talk to it. It must have been really bored and lonely in that container." Luna commented, beaming at the DA teacher. Harry let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Luna."

"And we are really glad you managed to release it. It is really inspiring." George whispered the last part to his prank team with a wink. Hannah took the hint and scribbled, 'snakes' on their growing list of ideas.

* * *

_**[Page 30 - Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished.]**_

For several minutes, only silence and the book's reading were heard as people stared at Harry in awe. The teen shifted uncomfortably under their gaze, helplessly confused. "What? Why are you all staring at me like that?"

"You made the glass disappear." Fred said in a hushed whisper, his eyes wide as saucers. "Forge, I think we have a new role model."

"That we do." George muttered back then the twins proceeded to kneel in front of Harry's feet, bowing repeatedly.

"Okay, what the hell? What are you two doing?" Harry was definitely freaking out now and his panic increased when Colin and Dennis joined the ginger-headed teens. He looked around frantically, his arms flailing around in his panic. "Hermione!" He let out an involuntary whine, his face an ideal example of deer-caught-in-headlight expression as he practically begged for her to do something.

"Alright, you four. Stop embarrassing Harry." Hermione scolded lightly, drawing a relieved sigh and grateful smile from Harry.

"But Hermione," this time, it was George who whined, pouting like a petulant child. "He's our new role model. We _need_ to express our loyalty to him. It's not like we do this only for him, we do this everyday for the Marauders, see?" He showed her a parchment of detailed schedule about their worshipping ceremonies of the Marauders. "I mean, it's too bad we don't know their real names but at least we know their nicknames."

"Forge, you are not bowing!" Fred said in alarm and in instant, they were back to worshipping Harry. The emerald eyed teen chewed on his lower lip in thought then phrased his sentence carefully. "Well, I, uh, order you to stop...whatever this is because if you keep doing this, um, you'll lose your time to...prank?" Apparently this was a right thing to say as they bolted upright, beaming brightly as they declared how they just received 'wisdom'.

"You do realize your just encouraged them to prank more, right?" Ginny asked, her eyes crinkling in amusement. Harry shrugged, flashing her a grin. "They could be telling every muggles they meet about magic or dying everything pink for all I care as long as they don't do..._that_." Harry shuddered at the reminder, scrunching his face as if he smelled something foul.

* * *

_**[Page 31 - He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions.]**_

"I could show you the pictures of your parents of mine, if you want Mr. Potter. I could even let you view my memories." Professor McGonagall said, dabbing the edge of her eyes. Harry immediately brightened up at this and thanked her over and over.

"I can show you my memories as well. Trust me, some of them are about your father's prank going wrong and it's really funny." Remus chuckled fondly as he remembered the incidents and Harry beamed at the idea of seeing it. Sure, he would never meet his parents again - unless he died, but he doubted his parents would like that. Plus, if he did die not because of old age, his friends will drag him back to life only to yell at him for his stupidity - but this way, he could learn about his parents, not just listen to other's biased opinions about them.

Just then, the chapter ended and Madam Pomfrey stood up, looking straight at him, her jaw set determinedly. When Harry tried to run away, he found his wrists held tight by Ginny and Hermione.

"I don't think you can get away with this, mate." Ron grinned, for once agreeing whole-heartedly with Hermione. Sirius and Remus also nodded, causing Harry to groan.

This was going to be a bad day.


	4. The Letters From No One

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

**Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone**

**The Letters From No One **

* * *

"Do I need to go?"

Harry asked, not caring that he was sounding like a whiny five years old. At the moment, he was getting dragged towards the Hospital Wing by Madam Pomfrey and his best friends. He tried to explain to them that he saw that place enough in his life, but they insisted they had to check his health.

"Come on, I'm serious! I'm perfectly fine and have no problems at all!"

"If I hear you saying 'I'm fine' one more time, I swear I'll lock you in infirmary with Madam Pomfrey taking care of you. _And_ I will ground you for all the troubles you've got yourself into." Sirius, now in human form, warned him, not even using 'I'm Sirius' joke for once. That shut the teen up, but occasionally, he grumbled something about how it was 'not his fault' and his 'over paranoid friends'.

The medi-witch forced him to lie down on a bed and she waved her wand at Harry, while muttering a charm under her breath. Seconds later, an enchanted quill started writing every health problems that Harry suffered in his life. Everyone widened their eyes in surprise when the first parchment was covered by words without any space left, forcing the medi-witch to place another parchment. She brought some extra parchments, which was good thing, since they needed two more.

When the quill finally went still, Madam Pomfrey started reading it and her face darkened as she read. During his childhood, Harry broke his bones several times, probably from his monstrous relatives. He also had numerous bruises around his body, and his growth was greatly effected by lack of food he received. His bad eyesight was also caused by malnutrition, and she made a mental note to contact a healer for the poor boy's eyes. Perhaps lenses could be used instead of those glasses.

Madam Pomfrey briefly closed her eyes, thankful that most of the injuries were healed by Harry's magic, although it had caused big exhaustion of magic. She shook her head to cast out that thought and turned her full focus on the result.

Starting in his first year, Harry had suffered more serious injuries. The result showed that he got hit by some hexes and curses, and she wrinkled her nose in disapproval. Merlin knew how many students hexed each other when a teacher wasn't looking.

His bones of his arm was vanished and re-grown at his second year, and her mouth formed a perfect 'O' when she read a description about getting bitten by a basilisk._ A basilisk!_

She was on verge of giving a long lecture when she noticed a pleading look the teen was giving her. Apparently, he knew what she was reading about and didn't want to tell the others, judging by how he was casting a glance towards his friends. The medi-witch inwardly sighed, but agreed with the teen. It wouldn't do to cause Sirius to faint in shock. She bit her lower lips but went back to reading, ignoring a quiet relieved sigh.

Harry's third year was the most mild year. The most significant event was the encounter with dementors, which she couldn't help but scowl at the thought of those creatures. She had number of pale faced students getting carried to infirmary because of dementors, but Harry, Hermione, and Ron had been the worst case. She had nearly fainted with shock when she was told that they had been in presence of hundreds of dementors, and wasn't sure how Sirius would react if he read how close they were to getting kissed by one of them.

During his fourth year, Harry suffered from lack of sleep and injuries from a dragon. There was also a imperius curse, knife wound and cruciatus curse and she shook her head in defeat. She was willing to bet that in few years, there will be no injuries that the teen hadn't experienced. But her protective instinct kicked in, and she was rather determined to take care of the boy. He had suffered enough.

His fifth year, which wasn't even finished yet, revealed that he was in presence of dementor _again_, and it also showed that a blood quill was used on him repeatedly. She stared at the words in horror until Sirius's hesitant voice called her back to reality.

"Poppy?"

It was only thanks to her life long experience that she managed to neutralize her expression, and briefly summarized Harry's childhood with steady voice. From thankful look she was getting, she knew Harry wasn't too keen on telling them about other injuries like her.

Normally, she would have immediately told a child's guardian about it but she wasn't sure Sirius and Harry's friends would lose control over their magic and destroy the infirmary, and she wasn't going to take any chances. The last thing she needed was more works for her to do.

Deciding the faster she went to Albus so they could discuss about Harry's house arrangement the better, she faced Harry, warning him in her most stern voice.

"If you ever come again after some near death situation, I promise you, I _will_ get you your own bed in here and I _will_ watch you twenty four hours and report every actions to Sirius, Headmaster and your Head of the House. And I'm warning you Mr. Potter, if you ever jump into dangerous situations purposely, I will make you to spend your free time in the infirmary. Yes, even during Quidditch practices."

Harry paled dramatically, and nodded his head frantically that she thought his neck might snap.

"Now, for your health. You are to drink three bottles of nutrition potion after every meal, starting from today and I want you," this was directed towards Harry's friends "to check if he's drinking them or not. Also, I will contact a healer for your eyesight, so we can check what we can do about it."

"You mean I don't have to wear my glasses?" The medi-witch pressed her lips tightly together to stop from smiling at the raven haired boy's bewildered yet hopeful expression. She nodded to confirm his thoughts, and she turned to give them privacy, but was stopped by the teen.

"Madam Pomfrey, would you mind, uh, getting Calming Draughts for people?"

"I'm guessing there are many events that are... not pleasant?" When Harry confirmed her thought, she rubbed her temple. _She _definitely needed some of them. "Lucky for us, Professor Snape had brewed those potions only yesterday, so I believe we have enough of them. I will give it to every students and staff, but it might be a good idea if you warn us when it's necessary to drink them."

Levitating dozens of potions, she left quietly, but also made a mental note to approach others about Harry's other health issues.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Hermione burst out as soon as Madam Pomfrey left, and Harry shifted uncomfortably, not looking at anyone. When the silence got unbearable, he replied quietly.

"I didn't want to worry you and I was worried you might judge me because of my home life."

"But we could have helped, Harry!" Ron said fiercely, and Harry just fidgeted, still not looking up, until Sirius squeezed his shoulders. When the surprised teen met his gaze, he said in gentle, yet fierce voice.

"We are not going to judge you no matter what, Harry. But from now on, promise us that you will tell us your concerns, alright, pup?" Harry smiled and agreed. Together, they headed towards the Great Hall, and Harry blinked owlishly at the unusual scene.

Dumbledore was getting yelled at many professors and Madam Pomfrey, who was shaking the parchments with Harry's health issues on it threateningly at him. His beard seemed to be partially burned, probably from the sparks that was produced from Professor McGonagall's wand. He could vaguely hear Madam Bones saying that she will work on removing him from the Dursleys as soon as today's reading was finished, and had to smile at that. He was finally leaving them for good!

At Gryffindor's table, almost half of the students including members of DA were shouting out random things at the Weasley twins, who were eagerly scribbling things down. He could distinctly hear something like, "Burn his mustache!", "Destroy their house!" and "Turn them into pigs!".

But before he could listen more carefully, Ginny noticed them and warned the others. To Harry's dismay, all students scrambled to their seat and gave him their innocent smiles or started eating their lunch. Since the benches were vanished for now, it looked like they were on a picnic. The enchanted ceiling helped the image as well. Remus patted a seat next to him and he gave Sirius - who was now in dog form - Ron and Hermione meaningful look, increasing Harry's suspicion even more.

"Now, since we are all here, let me explain about the potions that was given to each of you. It is a Calming Potion, so if you feel you'll need it, drink it. It will calm you down."

Dumbledore explained and everyone let out a relieved sigh. But Harry instantly noticed that the Headmaster lacked his usual cheerfulness, probably because of two _very_ furious witches sitting next to him. Ignoring the red haired teen and a dog eating rather noisily, he faced Neville.

"Did something happen while I was gone?"

"Nothing you should worry about. Why don't we go back to reading?" Although his question wasn't fully answered, Harry let go. He was sure whatever they were planning had to do with his relatives, and frankly, he didn't care what happened to them. He just hoped it wasn't anything life threatening that Umbridge could use against them and send them to Azkaban.

* * *

_**[Page 33 - The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favourite sport: Harry-hunting.]**_

"'Harry Hunting'?" Ginny, Hermione and many others shrieked in disbelief. Remus rubbed his temples as he forced himself to calm down.

_Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale._

Slowly, the wolf inside him calmed but still paced and growled, demanding to be released and kill this creatures who had inflicted pain on his pack. If there was anything that Remus and Moony agreed on, it was that _nobody_ hurt their pack members and get away unscathed. Never.

"Hermione, remember saying that shouting things out and throwing temper tantrum won't change anything?" Harry reminded his friend, but she scoffed as if she couldn't believe she said that before.

"Forget what I said. This is outrageous! This must be reported to police! I'm sure they'll punish them for such action."

Behind her, the twins nodded their heads in thought and wrote 'report to police' on their prank ideas parchment, specifically designed for Dursleys. But they quietly agreed to to do this last so they had their chance to try out rest of the ideas. Meanwhile, Harry grabbed the nearest potion and forced his best friend to drink some of it. She sent an annoyed glare at him, but quietened down.

"Who's in for Dudley Hunting?" Ron asked with anger visible in his eyes, and many people raised their hands. The twins added 'Dudley Hunting' as well. Harry eyed them and then the potion in his hand.

* * *

_**[Page 35 - Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.]**_

Professor McGonagall shook her head sadly. She had always wondered why he never asked for help and now she knew. Those horrible monsters discouraged and probably punished the poor boy for even asking questions and she highly doubted they willingly gave him their help. The fact that for eleven years no one, not even a single adult, noticed his treatment and reported to the aurors, or police as the muggles call them, didn't help his distrust of adults, either. She sighed sadly as she remembered herself ignoring the Gryffindor's plea for help. If she only listened to them, they wouldn't have gone through all that and Harry wouldn't have had to face the Dark Lord all by himself when he was only a first year.

Professor Sprout squeezed her arm gently as an offer of comfort. She. Knew what her old friend was thinking. She was the one the cat animagus came to and confessed her guilt for not listening to her students. She had reassured her as best as she could but she knew she still blamed herself for that. But she knew from now on, they would always listen to their pupils and never wave their concern side again. They would do everything to regain the trust of Harry Potter and will be always ready to offer help when it looked like he needed it.

* * *

_**[Page 36 - No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him.]**_

"So you never received any letters? Not a single one?" Neville frowned as Harry cocked his head, genuinely confused. "Yeah. Why? Should I have got one?"

"Yes. Since you are the heir of the Potter Family, the goblins should've updated you of everything going on with your fortune. Well, I guess since you are kinda young and I doubt that _relatives_ of yours would've helped you. They wouldn't have understood anything anyways." Neville shrugged, then added as he remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot! My gran says to bring you to my home. She says she wants you teach you about our world's custom and pureblood stuff. I mean, you will be the Head of the Most Noble and Ancient Potter Family, so you need to learn how to act like one so you won't embarrass yourself."

"Huh. So she's gonna teach me about politics?"

"Pretty much." Neville agreed, smirking at the teen. "It is really boring, but I agree with gran. If we aren't prepared, we won't survive one day I the political field and probably lose all our fortune. Well, at least we'll take those lessons together. Do you have any idea how agonizing it is? She sometimes makes Binns' classes look fun!" Neville whined, drawing a laugh from Harry.

"But seriously, you never had a single letter during those eleven years?" Ernie cut in, staring intently at the raven haired teen. "No? Woah, I never thought blocking those fan mails was possible. Huh, guess I was wrong then."

"Wait, what fan mails?" Harry cut in, his eyes wide. Tonks piped in. "Oh, you know, before this whole fiasco, people absolutely adored you and you had millions of fans. You'll never believe the sheer number of people who came to the Ministry, demanding to know the address to their precious Boy-Who-Lived." The metamorphmagus made a disgusted face at the reminder of how easy people's opinions changed.

"And I always sent you presents for your birthdays and every holidays." Remus narrowed his eyes then turned to glare at the headmaster. "Did you have anything to do with this?" His tone clearly stated that if he did, he would be in a world of pain, screw the consequences.

"Actually, any letters from a stranger would be sent back since they might be cursed but it is rather worrisome that Mr. Potter didn't receive anything from Remus." Dumbledore replied calmly, but they could detect the hint of relief underneath it.

Everyone turned to look at Harry who visibly restrained himself from shrinking back. "Uhh, was your presents a stuffed stag and books? Um, well, they were kinda given to Dudley?" He trailed off uncertainly, taking in _very_ furious faces and immediately reached for the Calming Draughts. Turns out, he didn't actually have to since Remus had gotten them first and was in process of giving the grim after he took one himself.

"So who exactly sent me the mails?"

"Well, the entire Wizarding World, thousands of fan girls and handful of death eaters - who would likely curse the letter before sending them - would love to send some mails to Ickle Harrykins here. Did I forget anyone?"

"My brother dearest, I do believe you've forgot our young sister here. If my memory is correct, she sent millions of letters only in one month." The twins yelped as a curse casted by a certain red haired fourth year zoomed past them. It only missed them by inches and they knew if they were slower for just few milliseconds, they would've got hit squarely on their faces.

"You were saying?" Ginny asked in her sweetest voice, and her older brothers gulped audibly.

"But, of course, as we were going to say, she got over her crush, didn't she? She isn't one of those fan girl who blindly worships the Boy-Who-Lived." Fred quickly said as fast as Hermione when she answers a question and George nodded his head wildly. Harry was laughing so hard that he forgot his desire to bang his head on table at the mention of his fame.

* * *

_**[Page 37 - Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down and slowly began to open the yellow envelope.]**_

"He should have opened it immediately or later when no one was looking! Honestly, does he have any common sense?" Daphne let a small smile grace her face as she heard her sister mutter to herself. It seemed this reading time helped her sister to overcome her shyness and be her usual cheerful-self. She glanced at her sister, who was giggling to herself as she watched Potter and his gang fooling around and made a mental note to at least introduce themselves to them. She knew it was likely they would just shun them as soon as they saw them, but they made Astoria smile. It had been long since she saw her smile and if she had to befriend the Gryffindors to make her happy, so be it.

"Well, obviously Ginny, considering how he dives head first into dangerous situations, I think we can safely assume that he doesn't have common sense." Apparently, the Weasley girl had the same inquiry as Aastoria and Potter let out an annoyed, "Hey!". His friends merely smiled sweetly at him, which caused him to send them half-hearted scowl. Daphne shook her head. Yes, she could see how they made her sister smile.

* * *

_**[Page 38 - "Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.]**_

"They tried to keep you ignorant of the Hogwarts invitation letter?" Hannah exclaimed in shock, but to her surprise, Harry didn't seem to be concerned at all. In fact, he chuckled, his eyes crinkling in amusement.

"Yeah, well, it didn't work as well as they wanted it to be." The staff and Harry had a knowing smirk on their face. Dean stared at each of them with wide eyes, and finally asked. "What do you mean?"

"Come on, Harry, tell us!" Ron urged him, but the raven haired teen only smirked at him that reminded the red haired teen of a Slytherin but he quickly dismissed that thought.

"Well, they kinda freaked out pretty badly when they saw what was inside the egg." Ron blinked blankly at him for few seconds until it clicked. He gasped then whirled around to face the professors. "You didn't!"

"Did what?"

"They put the letters in the eggs!" Ron pointed an accusing finger at them who made no move to correct him. In fact, some actually looked rather proud of the fact and was puffing out their chests, looking around with smug expressions. "Got that right, mate." Harry snickered at the Weasley twins who were howling with laughter on the ground, looking awe struck that the professors would do such thing. Perhaps they should get _their _help for pranking the Dursleys as well.

"Why do you want that letter so badly anyway?" Seamus asked, not understanding why he was complaining even after getting a room. In his opinion, getting to stay at a room instead of a cupboard in exchange of some letter was good deal. Harry answered him, but from his icy gaze it was clear what he thought of the Gryffindor.

"If you hadn't noticed, that was the first letter I received in my life. So it was pretty important to me."

* * *

_**[Page 39 - "Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"]**_

"Harry? By 'stamping out', did your relatives mean beating you?" Neville asked in deadly calm voice, which was very unusual for the shy Gryffindor. But nevertheless, it had almost same effect as Snape's and McGonagall's voice and everyone turned to face Harry. The younger wizard automatically started protesting. "What? No! Of course not! They never did anything like that."

"Harry. They starved you and locked you in a cupboard even though they had a spare room. I think we have a good reason to believe they beat you." Hermione, always the logical one, carefully told Harry. As much as she didn't want to learn about her best friend's horrible childhood, she needed to know so she could help him.

Harry stubbornly shook his head. Seeing this, Madam Pomfrey eyed the parchments of Harry's health. She promised to herself that she'll talk to the about it later. Besides, she was certain Sirius needed to be tied up so he wouldn't cause any damage when he listened to his godson's childhood. Perhaps this would change Severus' mind about the boy. Out of everyone, he would be the one who could understand him the most since he also had a similar childhood. She still couldn't believe she didn't know about their abusive guardians and they had to suffer because of her ignorance. Although she couldn't do much about Severus, she will do whatever it takes for Harry to have a happy life and if it meant knocking some sense into them, she would do it, consequences be damned.

Remus rubbed his temple to soothe the headache that was brewing. He knew the habit of lying and denying about his abuse wouldn't be broken so easily, but it didn't mean he liked it. Still, he had to try to make Harry trust them and open up about his treatment by those foul creatures who called themselves his honorary godson's relatives. Did Harry even _know_ it was abuse? He wouldn't be surprised if Harry thought it was normal and part of him believed he _deserved_ it. If that was the case, Remus and Moony would join forces and stop at _nothing_ to make the Dursleys pay for the crime. He knew as a fact that Sirius would join him, too. It was good to know he had his friend's full support.

Mrs. Weasley was positively fuming. For the first time in her life, she was actually considering letting her children to go pranking. If there were people who deserved being punished, these muggles were definitely them. She knew her husband was on her side as well as her entire children backing her up, and angry Weasleys were very scary Weasleys. You did not hurt their family, intentional or not, and got away unscathed. The Dursleys were in for a hell of a ride.

Meanwhile, Harry eyed Sirius who was growling menacingly and the Weasley twins nervously. At the moment, they seemed to be scribbling everything that they could think of onto the parchment. Although he did like the feeling of being cared, he definitely didn't want any of his friends to get into trouble by 'avenging' him or whatever they might call their action. He promised to himself to read the Daily Prophet carefully at tomorrow morning to see if there were any 'mysterious' attacks on a muggle family.

* * *

**_[Page 41 - ...they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time hed make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan.]_**

"That plan of yours is not going to work." Hermione and Ron muttered in sync, then hurried to explain their reasons when Harry shot them an annoyed glare. "I mean really, when you think of one on your feet, it's absolutely brilliant-"

"And reckless." Hermione piped in.

"-but your plans kinda always fail. Or if it is really logical and has a high chance of being successful, your luck kicks in and something goes wrong." Ron finished with a wince, no doubt thinking back to their little adventures. Harry pondered this for a minute then admitted with a sheepish grin. "Hate to admit it, but yeah, I agree with you. My plan sucks. Fine. They are also extremely reckless and I will try to not to do them again. Happy?" Harry added with roll of his eyes, Hermione smiling in satisfaction. Remus looked at each of them asked slowly.

"What do you mean by 'reckless'? No, scratch that. Do I even want to know?"

"Uh..." Their expressions were the answer itself and the former DADA professor stifled a whimper. This was _way_ too much for his frail heart to handle!

* * *

_**[Page 43 - After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out.]**_

"Seriously? He blocked the doors, literally trapping them inside, just because of some letters?" Susan asked with a dumbfounded look on her face. Hannah smiled at her friend.

"Well, let's just say he's paranoid. Although, personally I think Moody is much more worse than him. He probably shoot curses at anything that comes near to his house."

The two girls giggled, earning several curious looks from others. Padma frowned at the two, cocking her head like a confused puppy. "What are you girls laughing about? Come on, tell me? Is it about you know, the prank?" She whispered the last part excitedly, her eyes twinkling at the mere thought about it.

"Well, no. But we can always try to think about it. Hey, why don't you join us? Come on, sit next to us." That startled the Weasley twins who was oblivious to the world around them at the moment. Padma raised her eyebrow but the Hufflepuffs waved her silent inquiry off. "Oh, don't mind them. They are kind of like mad scientists when they are focused on plotting their prank."

Padma blinked at her response but quickly recovered. She then proceeded to chat with the Hufflepuffs and her twin sister, shooting not-so-subtle suspicious looks to the Weasley twins from time to time.

* * *

_**[Page 43 - Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets.]**_

Students cheered, and Professor McGonagall looked rather pleased at the owls who put letters in the chimney. Harry could swear he heard distant hoots of owls, sounding smug and proud.

"I had _no idea_ our dear old professors were _that_ creative." George grinned, looking impressed. Fred also looked interested as he snickered at listening to how the Dursleys seemed to be getting driven insane by their letter-spitting-chimney. Even some Slytherins had dropped their masks and laughed at the muggles' misery. It was even better since the book imitated people's voices perfectly and the panicked cry of the Dursleys were too amusing to ignore.

"Merlin, I almost feel sorry for them. Almost. I bet they are traumatized of letters because of that." Terry Boot gasped out between hiccups that was caused by laughing so hard. Due to the tears that were streaming down his eyes, he never noticed the prank team perking up and writing his idea down.

* * *

_**[Page 46 - ...a large rock way out to sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine.]**_

"That man has some issues." Dean shook his head. "I mean, he forced his entire family to move to the island in the middle of nowhere just for some letters. That man is bloody insane, I'm telling you!"

"Don't forget about the rest of the family members. That spoiled pig is worrying about televisions when his father is acting like that. Honestly, what is wrong with them? No offense to you, Harry." Ernie quickly added and the raven haired teen waved off the apology.

"None taken. Now lighten up will you? The fun part is coming up." He flashed them a grin that immediately got them begging for more information, but the teen didn't budge. "Nope, not gonna work. Now hush. I'm trying to listen to the story here."

"Meanie." Ginny huffed childishly, sticking out her tongue. But all of them quietened down and listened eagerly to the tale.


	5. The Keeper Of The Keys

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

**Harry Potter and the. Philosopher's Stone**

**The Keeper Of The Keys**

* * *

_**[Page 50 - BOOM. They knocked again.]**_

The students started chatting among themselves about who could be knocking. Others who weren't interested in guessing jus went back to eating. The food had changed into deserts.

"Maybe it is a giant sea serpent!"

A very excited Gryffindor shouted. His friends scooted away from him, since he was shouting with foods inside his mouth. Needless to say, few unfortunate people sitting next to him got hit by those disgusting crumbs, leaving them to splutter and curse rather loudly.

"You _didn't_ get attacked by a giant sea serpent, did you?"

Ginny whirled around to face Harry, desperation visible in her voice. Her eyes were round with panic, and Harry frowned at her. His arm was starting to ache from the death grip of Ginny. Really, she was much more stronger than him, and he was year older than her! Ugh, he definitely needed to work on his strength.

"Ginny, as you can clearly see, I am perfectly fine. So why in Merlin's beard are you thinking that I was attacked by a _sea serpent_?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you are still alive after being attacked by a possessed professor, a basilisk, hundreds of dementors and most importantly, _Voldemort_! So we have a good reason to think that you _were_ attacked by a some kind of monster."

Hermione answered unhelpfully, examining him as if looking for some kind of injury. Harry rolled his eyes. Although it was true that he attracted troubles, a sea serpent was a bit extreme... Okay, knowing his luck, he'll probably find one trying to kill him.

"Excuse me? A _basilisk_?"

Remus asked weakly, clutching his heart in attempt to calm his poor heart. He downed a vial of potion in one gulp, and gave another to a certain black whimpering dog. They were deifnitely _not_ looking forward to read Harry's 'adventures', though they would probably call it, 'idiotic and reckless behaviors'.

The Golden Trio exchanged looks, and Neville sighed, noting how nervous they seemed. "You know what? Just forget it. We'll learn about it out later anyways."

"Right. Assuming I didn't die from heart attack, that is." Remus muttered, gathering as many Calming Draughts he could get his hands on. He did _not_ want to have a panic attack or something and he was going to make sure these precious potions were around when he did. He briefly considered giving some to Sirius but decided against it. No, he needed it much more than him.

* * *

_**[Page 50 - He was holding a rifle in his hands...]**_

"He had a rifle?! But there were children present around him! Doesn't he know how dangerous and irresponsible he was being?" Hermione and other muggleborns shouted, alarmed. Pure bloods frowned, not understanding what was a 'rifle', let alone why it was wrong with having it. Ron voiced their questions aloud.

"What's a rifle?"

"It's a muggle's tool that causes huge pain when it hits you if it didn't kill you. It's kind of like a slicing curse." Hermione said, while once more searching Harry for any sign of injury made by a bullet. Harry did his best but couldn't escape his best friend's firm grip. Honestly, first they were worried about sea serpent and now a rifle? Didn't they know he could take care of himself?

"Oh, come on, Hermione! It's been years since that happened! How are you expecting to find a bullet injury? Besides, Madam Pomfrey checked on me and it hadn't said anything about it."

Hermione frowned, but admitted it was kind of illogical to check him and let him go. Harry winced as he gingerly touched his arm. What was it that made the girls much more stronger than him? He was so going to put on some weights. Perhaps learn some matial arts as well to get in shape. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to learn how to defend himself if he lost his wand.

* * *

_**[Page 50 - The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor.]**_

"You know, I'm starting to think that you are going to be attacked." Neville commented, looking at the teen. Harry's smile grew wider.

"You don't have to worry about really. He is really strong and looked intimidating, but he will never harm me. I think you'll like him." He bit back a snicker when Neville's expression clearly showed that he didn't believe him. Luna hummed, looking at the ceiling.

"He is actually nice. Especially to the animals." People looked at the blonde oddly, but she was either oblivious to the stare or was ignoring them. Harry grinned, amused. It seemed that Luna had figured it out even faster than Hermione. The said Ravenclaw smiled at him then continued humming to herself.

**A giant of a man was standing in the doorway.**

"Oh, I see what you mean." Neville said as he heard the identity of the mysterious intruder, slumping to his seat in relief. Other people also relaxed as well, fully enjoying listening to Hagrid's encounter with the Dursleys. From the looks of the two, they knew something really good was coming up and couldn't wait for it. Some, like Ron, were actively cheering for Hagrid and downright ignored Umbridge's high-pitched shriek for them to quietened down.

"Only Hagrid will break the door and ask for a tea." Hermione said over the noise feeling the Great Hall, beaming up at the giant. Fred leaned in to Harry.

"So, tell me ickle Harrykins, did that action annoy your relatives?"

"It did scare them a lot. I swear Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia," Sirius growled lowly, not liking to be reminded that the Dursleys were his godson's relatives. "looked like he would pass out and Dudley seemed to be barely restraining himself from wetting himself." Harry admitted, then narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "And do tell me, why are you interested in this?"

"It's none of your business." George said in fake haughty voice. Harry stuck his tongue out, causing Ginny to roll her eyes.

"Very mature, Harry."

"Oh, shut it, Ginny."

He didn't notice the recently found prank team writing down 'entrance: break their door and ask for tea' on their parchment.

* * *

_**[Page 51 - Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on.]**_

Susan saw the Weasley twins had an identical thoughtful look on their faces, and she did not like it. Not in the tiniest bit. Okay, so maybe part of her did want to help them put whatever idea they had in mind into action but she had no doubt that her aunt will kill her if she got herself into Azkaban for accidentally killing some muggles. So as much as she couldn't care less what happened to Harry's relatives, she had to stop them before things got out of control.

"No, we cannot turn him into a mouse and step on them." Susan stated firmly, completely un fazed by the puppy eyes two were giving.

"How do you know that was what we were thinking?" One of them whispered back - she still couldn't tell which was which - not wanting to give up on their idea.

"Yeah, and why not?" Another asked wistfully, thinking the same thing.

"First of all, I know your looks when you have a new idea for your prank. Second of all, you can't because if you kill someone, muggle or not, you will be sent to Azkaban!" Susan said, annoyed that they didn't even think about consequences but disappointed at the same time because she also didn't want to dismiss the idea. Besides her, Hannah visibly sagged down in disappointment.

"Fine, but what about just scaring them a bit? You know just squash them just a itsy bitsy teeny weeny tiny bit?" Susan opened their mouth to disagree but were met with four puppy eye expressions, one from the twins, her best friend and the actual black dog. Finally, she caved in and no one missed the way her eyes gleamed in satisfaction. They had no doubt if it wasn't for the laws, the Hufflepuff would have let them do whatever they wanted.

* * *

_**[Page 52 - ...and what he said instead was, "Who are you?"]**_

"He just broke the door and looks intimidating and strong, but all you ask is 'who are you?'. Really, Harry? No 'what are you doing here' or 'please don't hurt me'?" Dean asked disbelievingly, but Harry only shrugged. "It seemed reasonable to me at that time to ask his name. I mean, he didn't act like he was going to hurt anyone."

"You should've at least thanked him for the cake." Luna chided lightly, but Harry couldn't tell if she was meant to sound scolding or it was just a comment, so he just promised he'll make sure not to forget thanking people later on.

"You need some healthy amount of fear. Honestly, Harry, don't you have any surviving instinct? When a stranger comes into your house - by _breaking_ the door, mind you - it's always good to be on your guard and be suspicious. You'll get yourself killed one day if you keep acting like that." Dean continued to lecture, and Harry saw that many people, including his friends, were nodding in agreement. He scowled. "I _do_ have my surviving instinct and I _do_ get suspicious of strangers."

"Sure, Harry, whatever you say." Neville agreed evenly. Harry huffed, grumbling to himself about how his friends always fussed over every single scratches he got.

* * *

_**[Page 53 - "...yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course." "Er-no," said Harry. Hagrid looked shocked. "Sorry," Harry said quickly.]**_

"Why do you always take blame even when nothing is your fault?" Remus asked, exasperated that Harry apologized even if it had nothing to do with him. Taking all the blame couldn't be good for his health. He chalked it on the ever growing list of 'why he should hex the Dursleys into obvilion'. Admittedly, that list was way longer beyond comparison to the list of 'why he should forgive the Dursleys', which only had one, 'because they are Lily and Harry's relatives'. He was pretty sure he could get rid of the latter list since it was really obvious there wasn't going to be anything else.

Anyways, maybe he could persuade Harry to the Hospital Wing for another check up? He knew, as much as Harry denied it, that seeing a fellow student die in front of him affected him greatly, and from all the rumors he heard, Harry didn't have normal school life either. So he would make sure that Harry got proper treatment and he wasn't suffering any traumas, even if it meant he had to drag the teen kicking and screaming all the way to Hospital Wing. He wasn't looking forward to it.

* * *

_**[Page 54 - "Yeh don't know what yeh ****are****?" he said finally."**_

"'You don't know what you are?' That sounds a little weird. It's like Harry's suffering a amnesia or something." Hermione mused then gasped in horror. Her hands flew to cover her mouth as if she said something terrible. "Oh, my god! Harry's gonna have amnesia!"

"What?" Harry asked, perplexed at her behavior. Other people stared at the bushy haired witch oddly too, and she explained fearfully. "I jinxed it. Knowing his luck, he's going to suffer amnesia soon."

"What?!" Harry exclaimed, more ridiculously this time, but he went ignored. Almost immediately, every friend of his started fussing over him, or discussing how they should prevent it from happening. He dodged few healing spells, pushed past more than several people who were asking him if they remembered each of them, and finally yelled over the chaos. "I do not and will not suffer from amnesia! Calm down, will you?"

Reluctantly, the crowd (it was surprising for Harry to see many people who got up to check on him, considering majority of people thought he was an attention seeking liar. It seemed that reading his life story had an unexpected effect.) went back to their seat, but didn't stop glancing at him every ten seconds. Really, did Hermione have to say that? now even more people were going to worry them sick about things that was unlikely to happen.

* * *

_**[Page 55 - "Harry - yer a wizard." "I'm a **_**what**_**?"]**_

"I do not want to waste my time for reading Potter's life. I have better things to do." Blaise Zabini muttered crossly. To other people, they would have thought he really meant that but Slytherins saw through it and knew he was rather intrigued listening to the book. He just said that for the show as people would believe Slytherins would react that way.

"Well, it is rather amusing to watch Potter and his friends reacting to it." Daphne Greengrass, the girl from the neutral family, replied offhandedly. Draco raised an eyebrow at her who only shrugged in return. It was unusual for her to join the conversation as she was known as the 'Ice Queen', famous for her icy attitude.

"Yes. And it seems that for someone raised from a household where magic was nothing but a forbidden subject and only a fairy tale, he's dealing with finding out he's the wizard pretty well." Pansy commented, apparently deciding not to be bothered that Daphne talked to them. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she was a girl. He knew it had to be hard to hang around with only males, so Draco couldn't really blame her for wanting to talk to a girl like her. Merlin knew _he_ wouldn't last a day if he was forced to stay with girls all day.

"As much as I want to find out every little dirty secrets Potter has, I would rather be doing something productive like brewing a potion or studying." Theodore Nott replied dryly, his disinterest clear in his tone. Draco mentally rolled his eyes at him. He was so workaholic, and if he was less ambitious, he was sure the teen would have been sorted into Ravenclaw. It was pretty obvious due to his fascination about learning something new.

"I'm much more interested in how Umbridge got that book." Daphne's sister, Astoria, said cocking her head to the side. "A book that contained a detailed life of a person wouldn't just drop from the sky for her to find. I wonder what price she paid for it."

"No clue. But I hope there aren't any of mine. I do not want random people to suddenly have the knowledge of me in their hands." Daphne wrinkled her nose disdainfully at that and Draco had to agree it would be unpleasant. Some strangers spewing his secrets to every people they met? Suddenly Draco found himself feeling sympathetic towards the Gryffindor but he was careful not to show it.

* * *

_**[Page 55 - "An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter." Harry stretch out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope...]**_

"Finally! I thought you'd never get that letter. Honestly, Harry, how can you make reading just one letter so difficult?" Neville asked, almost feeling sorry for Harry. "You are worse than me with potions."

"I know, Neville. I've been trying really hard to find out what was wrong with me for past few years. If I do figure it out, you'll be the first one to know." Harry promised with mock solemnity.

"You better keep that promise, Harry. 'Cause it will ease my mind and help me sleep peacefully without having to wonder what was wrong with you. Hopefully."

"Boys." Hermione rolled her eyes at the two.

* * *

_**[Page 56 - After a few minutes he stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?"**_

"After you've just learned you were a wizard, out of all things, you ask about what they meant when they said they await your reply?" Dean lectured again. "You have some mental issues, Harry. When you learn something impossible like that, you either scoff at the ridiculousness or cheer in happiness. Sensible people go with the former, but people who often follow their emotions - which includes me, by the way - go with the latter."

"I was eleven! And besides, how was I supposed to know when the reply was due?" Harry protested, desperately trying to defend himself. Fred and George laughed at his futile effort, and slung their arms around his back.

"My, my, Forge. It looks like our ickle Harrykins got stuck!" One exclaimed, ruffling the teen's black hair. Harry squawked in protest, but as usual, it went ignored.

"Yes, my brother dearest, it looks like he is. And I think we should remind him something." Another replied, also ruffling Harry's hair. He asked carefully, not even bothering to protest when his already messy hair got even more messier. "What do you need to remind me about?"

"That you can't use 'I-was-eleven-excuse', of course." They chorused, looking at the younger teen as if it should be obvious. "I mean, you used that excuse like dozens of times now, and a good prankster don't use the same excuse more than few times. It gets really suspicious, you know."

"But this isn't about pranking!" Harry shouted, frustrated. The twins, however, weren't affected by his mood and just grinned their trademark mischievous grins.

"Ah, yes. But you see, Harry, for some reason we are quite determined to turn you into a prankster." Fred - or was it George? - said, making his eyes as innocent as possible.

"So from now on, we are gonna train you up, and whatever you do, we'll make sure you are doing it by prankster's standers."

"Fine, fine. I won't use that excuse anymore and make up some other excuses." Harry muttered in defeated voice when it was clear they weren't going to give up easily. The pranksters grinned at the teen, ignoring the professors who wore horrified expressions at hearing the Weasley twins were going to turn James' son into prankster. How was Hogwarts going to survive?

"We'll make a prankster out of you yet." They chorused, flashing Harry a fond smile that was often used by parents. Harry couldn't help but laugh at their antics. It sounded like a great idea to learn how to prank people. It would certainly help him relieve some stresses and he could become more similar to his dad! He idly wondered what the twin's reactions were going to be when they found out that he was the Prongs' son.

* * *

_**[Page 59 - "Nah - can't spell it. All right - Voldemort." He shuddered.]**_

"You made Hagrid say Voldemort's name!" The Weasley twins were awe-struck and admired Harry with new respect. "What can you not do?" Harry squirmed under their stare. "Um, I can't swim?" He offered weakly.

"Now this is why we chose him as a prankster!" Harry barely held himself back from banging his head on table at their conversation. Barely. "He's perfect! He has so many useful skills and who knows what tricks he didn't show us yet."

"I know, Forge! He'll be the best prankster beside us and the Marauders! Oh, just imagine what pranks he'll cause!" They continued to gush like girls and Harry pointedly ignored them. "And he'll be able to charm the girls!"

"Ugh!" Harry gave in and banged his head on a table. Repeatedly. "What is it with you two? Didn't _you_ make him say it?" Harry yelled, his patience finally snapping in half.

"No, he never did." The twins pouted like a petulant children, and Harry cocked an eyebrow in slight shock at that response. He had always thought the infamous Weasley pranksters could convince people to do what they wanted them to do - well, except for the professors, of course - but apparently, he guessed wrong.

"We couldn't persuade him, and we've tried everything!" Fred sulked at the memory, and George continued. "Yeah, we've even tried threatening Fang's safety, but that didn't work either."

"You did _what_? That was very cruel thing to do! I can't believe you even thought about it, let alone did it." Hermione shrieked as Luna nodded along, slight frown marring her features, and the twin raised their hands in surrending sign defensively.

"We only said it! We didn't actually _do_ it."

"Yeah, and besides, we already got into detention because of it. There's no need for you to start yelling at us now."

Hermione huffed, and muttered, "you deserved it." under her breath. Harry shook his head at their antics. Sometimes, five years old kids acted much more mature than them.

"Wait. Did you find out why Hagrid isn't allowed to do his magic anymore?" George propped himself up with his elbow and demanded rather harshly in Harry's opinion. Fred also sat up, his eyes wide. "You didn't, right? There's no way in hell that you three fifth years managed to do what we've tried for the past fifteen years and failed. Come on, tell me you didn't."

The Golden Trio exchanged looks, seemingly having a silent argument then turned and chorused in perfect sync that it was almost disturbing. "No comment!"

"Oh, come on. Just hint us so we can let our old, fragile mind into rest. Please?" The twins begged, looking more frantic by second. The Gryffindors had their silent discussion again and apparently decided Harry should be the one to answer that.

"Well, what do you think? Do you really believe it's _possible_ for someone as young as us could manage something that _you two_, the greatest pranksters in _history_, failed to manage? I don't think so." Harry practically purred and smiled sweetly at the end for effect. He easily muffled Sirius' bark of protest with his hand at the 'greatest pranksters' part and he could tell his best friends were biting the inside of their cheeks to refrain themselves from laughing out loud. The Weasley twins seemed to buy it and visibly deflated with relief, and Harry couldn't wait to see their reaction when they found out, yes, they actually _did_ find out the reason.

* * *

_**[Page 60 - "You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then he tried to kill you, too. But he couldn't do it."]**_

"Harry has the worst luck than anyone else that I know of." Ginny complained, slight teasing visible in her voice as she tried to lighten up the atmosphere. "I mean, who faces snake faced man four times when he's not even an adult yet?" The twins jumped into the conversation without a second of hesitation.

"I know! My mind would have broke down if I saw U-Know-Poo's ugly face even once! It's a wonder he's sitting here."

"I have to agree with my devilishly handsome brother. I know I would have been scarred _forever_ if I ever saw his face in my life."

"Fred! George! Stop it in this instant!" Mrs. Weasley yelled, looking genuinely appalled at her sons. She wore an expression that clearly said, 'do you have a death wish?'. Their sons stopped, but Harry's and few others didn't stop smiling amusedly.

"Well," Harry blinked, looking at now silent and terrified twins and shook his head, bemused. "That went well."

* * *

_**[Page 63 - ...and the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he got his revenge, without even realising he was doing it? Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him?]**_

"We are really proud of you for that, you know." Fred commented, grinning. George agreed. "Yeah. Although it wasn't intentional, setting a boa snake after them was really amazing." They sighed dreamily like fan girls. Harry faced Hermione and Ron questioningly, but didn't get any replies.

"Let them be. Who knows what they are thinking. Just be thankful that they aren't parselmouths, or Hogwarts will be swarming with snakes." Ginny said, casually sipping a pumpkin juice from her goblet. When she saw the twins' faces lighting up, she banged her head on the table, groaning. "I gave them ideas, didn't I?"

"Harry, how wonderful to see you there!" Fred exclaimed, ignoring Ginny's banging. "Now, would you mind if you teach us how to say parseltongue?" At this, even Slyherins perked up in interest and Harry had to face hundreds of eyes trained on him.

"Uh, I'll think about it?" Harry offered, not really used to positive interest on his little 'gift'. Not that he was complaining of course. He idly wondered if the twins had really been serious and if they were, how he was going to teach them. It wasn't like there were alphabets for parselmouths, were there? Harry blinked as he realized he actually didn't try writing it before. Well, another thing to add in his mental to-do list, then. The list had actually been made only few hours ago, around when the reading started, and majority of it was stuff like 'make sure Remus doesn't go to the Dursleys during full moon' or 'avoid any toads that seems to especially hate him'. The last one was added because he was 98.75% sure the twins will turn the Dursleys into toads.

* * *

**_[Page 64 - When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers.]_**

The students roared with laughter, and even adults were having a hard time controlling their facial expressions. Some, like Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout, were openly laughing while most professors schooled their expressions so their amusement weren't so obvious. But even from distance, Harry could see the Headmaster's twinkling eyes and twitching corner of lips of Professor McGonagall. The most unaffected person was Slytherin's Head of the House, Severus Snape. He merely sneered in disgust at everyone.

"Y-you. Gave him. A pig tail!" Fred choked out between his laughter, tears of amusement leaking out. Next to him, George lied there, panting harshly to force in air into his lungs against his laughter and hiccups. Most of the students were in similar situations and they cheered for Hagrid as if he was their god.

"_Silence!_" Umbridge's shrill voice cut through the noise and everyone quietened down. She stood triumphantly, and pointed at Hagrid accusingly. "You had used magic on a muggle and risked our world to be found, therefore breaking the Ministry's law. You will be arrested and will be punished after a trial."

Harry shot a panicked look at his friends. It didn't occur to him that Umbridge will use this against Hagrid and by the look of Minister, there was no hope that Hagrid will get a fair trial. The half giant had turned pale, probably thinking about Azkaban, and everyone who liked Hagrid - which was about three thirds of the student population, due to what he did to Dudley - glared at the DADA professor or had horrified expressions on their faces.

"But the rule says that you can't use magic on muggles so they wouldn't know about our world. This one hardly counts because they already knew about our world." Hermione protested, earning grateful look from Hagrid and approving looks from several professors and Madam Bones.

"She has a point, Dolores." Madam Bones said, successfully cutting off Umbridge's and Minister's outraged splutters. Hagrid relaxed, and Hermione received more than many grins and compliments. Harry beamed and patted her back.

"It's good to have a know-it-all on our side."

"Oh, quiet, Harry." But they could tell she was rather pleased from her smile and small blush that creeped onto her face.


	6. Diagon Alley

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

**Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone**

**Diagon Alley**

* * *

_**[Page 66 - Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight.]**_

"Why would you keep your eyes shut? If I were you and I just found out I could do magic, I would be bouncing with excitements." Terry Boot from Ravenclaw asked, puzzled at past-Harry's behavior. Harry in present fidgeted uncomfortably. He didn't want to explain how often he dreamed about people taking him away and didn't want to get his hopes high.

"I often had a dream about me getting away from my relatives and well, I got disappointed a lot when I woke up and none of it actually happened."

"Oh. Sorry." Terry murmured, wincing slightly. Harry smiled at him which he hoped felt reassuring. After all, he wasn't the reason why he had that kind of childhood. So there wasn't any point in making him guilty just because he asked one question. It wasn't like he knew about that.

"It's kind of sad. You immediately think it's a dream when something good happens." Lavender commented, looking at the raven haired teen in sympathy. Harry didn't response to her, instead choosing to shrug nonchalantly. He could almost_ touch_ the anger radiating from his friends, who were his family by all but blood. He also had a feeling that the Weasley twin's parchment full of pranks just for his relatives were few pages long. He almost felt sorry for them. Almost.

As expected, the pranking crew was busy recording every ideas that people were sending to them. Susan and Hannah's hands ached from writing too much, and their writings were near illegible. The twins were stacking pieces of parchments that the others sent and if it wasn't for empathetic Hermione helping them organizing, they weren't sure they would've survived it. If this was what doing paperwork was like, they couldn't understand how their dad managed it. They wouldn't have survived through an hour.

* * *

**_[Page 68 - "I haven't got any money - and you hear Uncle Vernon last night - he won't pay for me to go and learn magic."]_**

"You haven't got any money?" Ron snorted, raising an eyebrow at Harry. "Really, Harry. I think you are the most rich teenager in the entire _world._ But here you are, stating you have no money. But don't worry mate, I believe you. It's not like you have _mountains of gold_ in your trust vault. And I can't even imagine amount of money in other vaults."

"Hey! I didn't know there was a Wizarding bank." Harry whined, then added with a startled blink. "And what do your mean by other vaults?"

Surprisingly, it was Draco Malfoy who answered him. "Potter family is one of the most Ancient and Noble family. Trust vault is only for you to use until you become a legal adult. If your become an adult you will have an access to other Potter's vaults. If you thought the trust vault was everything Potter family had, then you must be dumber than I've originally thought." He added the last sentence with a sneer. After all, it wouldn't be good if the Dark Lord and his father found out that he's being rather friendly to Potter. He mentally scoffed at his last thought. As if _Potter_ of all people will be his friend.

Neville also added to Draco's explanation. "You can't access your family vault now because you might waste it all. It's just a way to ensure young heir making a wrong choice which will result to Potter family losing all their fortune and influence. Speaking of which, you need to learn about those kind of things. You know, investing, politics, etiquette, etc."

"Let me guess. Your gran decided to teach me." Harry dead-panned, but he looked interested.

"Correct." Neville grinned. "At least now I have a company. Let's just hope you don't get overwhelmed." At Harry's questioning glance, Neville proceeded to explain. "My gran's a strict teacher, and she'll be mortified if you tell her you don't know anything about it. You are supposed to learn those kind of things as soon as possible."

"Well, let's just hope she is patient since I know I'll be absolutely _horrible_ at politics and etiquette." Neville grinned amusedly at his friend who was making faces and shook his head. "Nah, I think you'll do fine. Besides, you'll do way better than _me_. Once, I fumbled over my words because I was nervous and offended my aunt so badly that she hexed me on sight for whole _month_."

"What did you say?"

"I may have questioned her mental stability and compared her to a pig." He grimaced, swatting at Harry in mock anger when he let out a bark of laughter. "Okay, so I won't have to worry about being the worst student." Harry teased Neville, who took it with good humor.

"Shut it, Harry, or I'll film your first try on greeting the guests and send it to everyone I can think of. And yes, that includes the Slytherins."

* * *

_**[Page 70 - "Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizards up an' down the country." "Why?"]**_

"Why? Harry, did you even consider what might happen if muggles found out about magic? Honestly, Harry, you need to think more carefully before saying things." Hermione said, and Harry rolled his eyes. "Okay, Hermione. I was being stupid and I need to think more. Can we move on?" Unfortunately, this statement only encouraged Hermione to say more rather than being quiet like Harry hoped.

"You are not stupid, Harry! Far from it really. A real problem is that you are being so lazy like Ronald!"

"Hey! I'm sitting right here, you know." Ron protested indignantly but Hermione ignored him. He scowled crossing his arms over his chest, muttering, "bloody woman" under his breath.

"If you just really put some effort into your work I'm sure you'll easily catch up on me. Why aren't you even trying?"

"Alright, Hermione! I promise I'll try my best from now on."

"Really, Harry. I know you don't like studying but-" Hermione stopped in her rant and looked at Harry, stunned. "Just like that? You are agreeing to study hard just like that?"

Harry sighed tiredly and ran his hand through his hair. "One of the Dursley's rules was that I shouldn't 'cheat' and outshine my dearest cousin." Harry rolled his eyes at this. "So I thought it would be the same in Hogwarts. Took me a while to realize they won't care how good my grades will be."

Harry grimaced slightly, expecting some kind of strong reaction, and he wasn't disappointed. Many people, including Harry's friends, Ravenclaws and even some professors, reached for Calming Draught. Harry was really thankful that he asked Madam Pomfrey for them, or he bet that quite a few students would have fainted when they read about his encounters with Voldemort.

Hermione's reaction was the most amusing. She stared at Harry for a moment and opened her mouth to say something, but changed her mind at the last minute and instead whirled around to face Ron. "Ronald! Even Harry's saying he will work hard. What are _you_ going to do? Aren't you even worried about your future? If you keep slacking off like this, your future will be ruined!"

"Hey, I do study! And you are being ridiculous. We didn't even take OWLs yet and you make it sound like I failed NEWT miserably!"

"Oh, now you are calling _me_ ridiculous?"

Harry shook his head amused and irritated at the same time. He did not want to hear his best friends bickering _again_. Honestly, when will they stop bickering like five years old kids? But he had to admit, it cheered him up a little, which probably was Hermione's goal.

"I also agree." Luna piped up while looking up to observe the enchanted ceiling. "You are actually far from stupid. And I must say, you are also a great teacher. Do you have any thoughts on becoming a DADA professor, Harry?" The members of DA agreed with the blond when she said Harry was a great teacher, and the raven haired teen looked slightly embarrassed. "I didn't really think about it. But I might consider it."

"But it's cursed!" Ron protested. "Harry might die if he took over that position!"

"But it's _Harry Potter_." Colin pointed out, as if it was the answer to everything, which, to him, was probably true. "He can do impossible things! I bet if he did become a DADA professor, he will break the curse and will be a fabulous teacher!" He chirped, clearly excited about it.

Umbridge, after eavesdropping on their conversation, scoffed. As if that boy could be a teacher. Even if he did, she bet he would be the worst teacher ever.

* * *

_**[Page 74 - A little man in a top hat was talking to the old barman, who was quite bald and looked like a gummy walnut.]**_

"You compared Tom to a walnut? I like your observant skill, Harry." Ginny cheekily said. "I wonder how you described us." She mused, glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes.

"You've better described me nicely, Harry." Hermione threatened playfully along with others. Harry couldn't help but groan. He prayed that he described then nicely, or he knew he was going to be pranked. Yes, they were his friends, but the smartest witch, best pranksters and others with rather creative ideas and wild imagination were included, and who knew what they could do if they worked together?

"You didn't insult our looks, did you, Harry?" George continued teasing, much to displeasure of the emerald eyed teen. "I mean, if you found fault in Ron, I understand that," the said ginger head cried out, offended, but to his irritation, no one paid him any attention. "But us? My devilishly handsome brother and I am perfectly flawless, thank you very much."

"Though I do not recall how I described your _outstanding_ looks," Harry drawled with such sarcasm that would have made Draco proud."I do remember that I have commented on your sanity and maturity level. Once. Few times. Maybe at least a dozen of times." He skillfully dodged a well-aimed swat to his head, grinning cheekily. "What? I've already thought what I wanted to think and there's no changing back."

However, all of them perked up when they heard Harry mutter, "but I think you'll be more than pleased to hear how I described Umbridge." Well, it wouldn't be overstatement to say they were almost vibrating in their seats in anticipation, eager to hear how exactly he had described the toad-witch.

* * *

_**[Page 75 - A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching. "Professor Quirrell!"]**_

"You. Met. Quirrell. In. _Leaky Cauldron?_" Hermione hissed, her brown eyes blown wide with worry and her face paling rapidly. "Oh my gods, Harry, were you hurt? Are you alright? He didn't hurt you, did he? Oh, I swear, if he did I will-"

"'Mione, remember that happened years ago. Besides, he wouldn't have dared to attack me when there was so many people around." Harry dI'd his best to calm her and his other best friend down. Their conversation was whispered so nobody heard it except Remus and Sirius, who had much improved hearings. They glanced at each other, unnerved that this Quirrel guy - who was apparently a professor according to the book - was a supposed threat to Harry. It was rather disturbing that Hermione and Ron seemed to be worried that a _professor_ would try to hurt their godson but frankly, they couldn't care less if a freaking pope or monk attacked Harry. All it mattered was that they _hurt _their godson, and they will _not_ get out of it unscathed. No one survived the wrath of the Marauders.

Meanwhile, the others were having their own conversation about the said DADA professor. "He was such a coward. And his stammers made it so difficult for us to study." A seventh year Ravenclaw complained, and many others, mostly Ravenclaws, nodded in agreement. "But I still don't know why he disappeared."

"Well, I'm for one glad that he's gone now." Terry remarked. "I mean, as she said, it was really hard studying from him and he always kinda creeped me out."

"I second that." The Golden Trio muttered, dark scowls firmly on their faces as they thought back to their first year. "He's _way_ better off gone."

* * *

_**[Page 76 - "Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley." He grinned at Harry's amazement.]**_

"It's really confusing for the muggleborns or half-bloods raised in muggle world when they first experience the Wizarding World. You should really inform the muggle parents so they know what they are dealing with, Headmaster. It is very difficult for the muggleborns to adjust if they have no knowledge of magical world. You can't expect them to fit in on their own if they have little information about the world they've just been introduced to." Hermione said, quite happy that she could voice her opinions.

"But of course, there are some exceptions. Hermione fits in _perfectly_ even if she's a muggleborn." Harry whispered to Ron, but loud enough for Hermione and other people around them to hear. Hermione cuffed him lightly, rolling her eyes at them.

"Anyways, as I was saying, if you give them information about magic early, then they can learn our cultures better and don't look so out of place."

"I will consider it for future reference, Ms. Granger. Thank you for telling us since it will certainly improve our system." Dumbledore replied, looking rather pleased as he pondered that option. Even Slytherins looked intrigued since one of the reasons they deposed muggleborns was that they had no respect for their culture. Apparently, it was all misunderstanding because they never got a chance to learn about them, so if Granger's suggestion was set on action, they would be less seeing the muggleborns discarding their culture and rules.

* * *

_**[Page 78 - "Like I said, yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid.]**_

"Why do I get the feeling that Harry will try to rob Gringotts?" Blaise Zabini wondered out loud, not really caring whether people heard him or not. He was shocked when many people seemed to share his thoughts.

"Harry? You won't try to break into Gringotts, right?" Neville asked nervously, while carefully looking at Harry for any signs of lie. Harry spluttered in shock. "What? Of course not! Why would I even think about doing that?"

"My, my, Harry! When you lie, you shouldn't splutter like that."

"Yes, Harry. We expected better of you." The Weasley twins tsked, and started chiding Harry, irritating the teen more.

"I am _not_ going to rob Gringotts!"

"Harry, are you absolutely positive-"

"_I'm not going to rob Gringotts!_ Merlin's sake Hermione! Have some faith will you? Why do you even suspect me to rob Gringotts anyways?"

"You are mad."

"I am not!"

"Yeah, you are not. Suicidal, but not mad."

"Ron, not you too!"

Everyone watched the scene with amusement, including Slytherins. Theodore Nott asked Draco, his lips twitching in amusement. "Do _you_ think Potter will try that kind of thing?"

"I don't know. But the fact that even his friends suspect Potter to break into Gringotts just proves that he is mad, as that half-giant said." Draco replied, snickering when Potter silenced and body binded the Weasley twins and pointed his wand at his other friends, daring them to continue. It was really amusing to watch Potter threatening and blackmailing his friends. Draco idly wondered whether they were always like this and if they were, how could he slip into the Gryffindor dormitory to record some of their banter. It would certainly improve his mood any day.

* * *

_**[Page 83 - In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes.]**_

Draco mentally cringed. Although he would rather die than saying to Potter or to anyone else, he was sounding rather arrogant and insensitive. When he first met Potter and didn't know his name, he was really looking forward to having a real friend that wasn't arranged by his parents. Crabbe and Goyle were his friends but they had only met because his father wanted a truce between their families. He hadn't met any kids around his age yet, except for some pureblood kids he met for politics because of his father's orders. He truly wanted to be his friend, but didn't know how, so he copied what his father usually did and some behaviors of purebloods. When Potter rejected his offer of friendship at the train, he took it as personal insult, started bullying him and his friends.

It sounded quite silly when he thought about it, being an arch-enemy just because of small rejection. But even if he did accepted his friendship, they would have never been friends, especially now since the Dark Lord had returned. His father would never approve it and when the Dark Lord finds out, he along with his parents would receive quick death at the best, long gruesome torture at the worst. He felt involuntary shiver run down his spine and shook his head to clear it.

At times like this, he was really thankful that his godfather, Severus Snape, taught him Occulemency. For that, he could lock this kind of disturbing thoughts into the darkest depth of his mind.

* * *

_**[Page 85 - "So what is Quidditch?"]**_

"Harry Potter not knowing Quidditch." Oliver yelled outrageously, grimacing at the thought. "That's a crime! He's a youngest seeker in century. How dare the Dursleys keep Quidditch away from Harry! There should be a law about this!"

Angelina shook her head while listening to her former Quidditch Captain rant. The Dursleys abused, neglected and starved Harry and he was focusing more on _Quidditch_. Really, he had some mental issues. Perhaps he got hit by a bludger too hard? Then again, almost all the Quidditch players, especially the Captain, weren't all there and had unhealthy obsession with winning. For example, the Weasley twins were, well, the twins. Their pranks always got even more creative and ridiculous as the time passed and their actions always managed to drive people insane, hinting about instability of their minds. She liked to think Katie, Alicia and herself were fine but she had been a_ bit_ pushy of her team these days. Oliver was the whole _definition_ of obsession and Harry... Well, one would doubt their sanity when the said person always throw himself into danger without any second thoughts.

* * *

_**[Page 86 - "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin."]**_

"If you keep resenting SLytherins for being 'Dark', then of course they are going to the Dark side since you won't let them in the Light side. After all, it isn't their fault that there were several dark wizards from the House. Besides, other dark wizards were from other Houses, they just aren't so well known." Luna commented off-handedly, startling everyone. "After all, saying all evil wizards are from Slytherin is same as saying that all evil wizards come from Hogwarts."

Harry blinked as he processed that. Well, if you put it that way, it certainly was rather unreasonable to only blame the Slytherins for being Dark. Besides, what was the standard of being Dark, anyways? Not that he was against the idea of banning curses such as Cruciatus Curse, but you could easily kill people with Light spells such as levitation charm. You just had to levitate a person high enough and drop them. But on the other hand, most of his encounter to life threatening situations were caused by Slytherins such as Voldemort. So he couldn't really just be buddies with them, but he understood them better now.

* * *

_**[Page 87 - Harry now carried a large cage which held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing.]**_

"Hagrid was the one who bought you Hedwig? Aw, that was so nice of him." Hermione nearly cooed at that, causing Ron to roll his eyes and mutter, 'girls' under his breath. Unfortunately for him, she caught him saying that and proceeded to hex him that his mouth was sealed shut. Harry, having experienced how his best friends could be when they started bickering, wisely ignored it.

"Well, yeah. I'm really thankful for that since if it wasn't for him, I would have never even met Hedwig." Harry grimaced at the thought of being without his owl. "She's a good friend and much nicer company than the Dursleys. Not to mention she's smart. She's the most intelligent animal I've ever met! Except for Crookshanks, that is." Harry added hastily when Hermione frowned at him.

"I know, right? I mean, if they could speak English, I bet they'll complete assignments without any problems." Hermione commented, happily fantasizing a debate she would have with two animals.

"Mmmmmmmhh mhhh." Ron snorted then made some noises since he couldn't open his mouth. Apparently, Hermione understood him and in no time, they started arguing.

"Ronald Weasley! How dare you to say such thing about them! They are perfectly capable of understanding you even though they can't talk. I am warning you if you say things like that in front of them, only you will be responsible for their actions."

"Mmmhh mh!"

"I never did insult Pigwigeon's intelligence! Besides, he's way better than his owner."

"Mmhhhmh mhhh!"

"Oh, don't you dare use that tone with me, mister!"

"How are they even understanding each other?" Neville asked in disbelief. He , like everyone else, was looking back and forth between the two Gryffindors like a tennis match. Harry shook his head ruefully, not even bothering to hide his amusement. "Honestly, I have no idea. But don't try to understand them, it will make your head explode. I speak from experience."

"Right." Neville blinked as he resumed watching the two's never ending argument.

* * *

_**[Page 91 - The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair...]**_

"How many wands did you try?"

"Uh, about thirty wands or something?" Harry answered, blinking when people started snickering. "What?"

"Thirty wands?" Ernie shook his head almost fondly. "Seriously, Harry? You are a very picky customer aren't you?"

"Hey! It wasn't like I was trying to be difficult." Harry huffed, scowling. "Besides, according to Olivander, the wands choose their masters so technically speaking, it was the wands who were being picky."

"Well, you surely made the man happy. I think he likes being challenged."

"I guess so." Harry mumbled but was occupied worrying about how they would react when they heard that his wand's core was the same as Voldemort's to fully participate in their conversation. Sure enough, people didn't react well when they heard that piece of information.

"Your wand is brother wand to You-Know-Who's?"

People started gawking at him again, but this time with more fear. It was like his second year all over again. People accusing and labelling him based on something he couldn't control.

"Yes, his wand is brother wand to You-Know-Who's, so what?" Ginny snarled, with a look that promised violence if it was needed. She reached for Harry's hand and gently squeezed it, offering some comfort, and was delighted when the raven haired teen squeezed back. Ron, Hermione, Remus, Sirius and many others also glared at the rest of the students, daring them to judge Harry. They gulped and immediately turned away from their vicious glares.

Harry sighed, relieved that his friends got his back. Despite how he was used to people's ever changing opinions about himself, it didn't make it easier to face their hatred alone. He leaned into Remus and Snuffles comfortably as they listened to the book. But just as the chapter ended, blindingly bright light appeared, forcing them to shut their eyes and turn away. Young children screamed in fright and scrambled away as the older students and professors whipped out their wands and pointed to the general direction where the light was coming from. They could hear three thuds as something fell to the ground, though they couldn't see what it was since they were temporarily blinded because of the light. Harry felt dread settling around him as the light gradually disappeared and everyone held their breath as they waited for sight to return so they could see what was in front of them.


	7. Platform Nine And Three-Quarters

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

**Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone**

**The Journey From Platform Nine And Three-Quarters**

* * *

The Great Hall was deathly silent as students and the professors studied the new arrivals sitting in front of them. The biggest reactions were from Harry's friends. Surprisingly, Harry didn't display any emotions and only stared at the three muggles coolly. But on the inside, he was panicking. _How did they get here?_ was the first question that popped in his head, and _Gods hate me_ was the second.

Another flash of light, and a note appeared in the middle of the air and started falling down. Ron caught it, and read it aloud for other people.

_To Hogwarts_

_Fear not, everyone. These people are Harry's relatives and they are to join you for reading. __Do try not to kill them as I'm sure some of you are tempted. __Have fun reading!_

"It's not signed." Ron declared, glaring at the trio that just arrived. Harry groaned, seriously considering the option of banging his head so hard he would be knocked unconscious. Sure, it would hurt but he had experienced worse pain and he would be saved from this utter chaos. Ugh, it was only the first day of reading and he already felt like his head will explode. Gods really hated him.

"You are Potter's relatives?" Alastor Moody, ever the cautious one, gruffly asked, pointing his wand at Harry's relatives. Petunia Dursley shrieked as she saw his mismatched eyes and hugged her son tightly in protective manner. Sadly enough, her son was much bigger than the size she was capable of covering so it ended up looking like she was trying to melt into her son. Vernon Dursley stepped in front of his wife and his son, his face turned into an interesting shade of reddish-purple.

"Put that _thing_ down, sir! I will not allow people like _you_-" It was clear he was trying to look as big and intimidating as possible which might have worked for some but the wizards and witches remained unimpressed, their wands still aimed directly at them. As he realized it wasn't going to work, he tried to come up with different tactic but was obviously failing. When his beady eyes trailed over Moody and spotted his nephew, he was now spitting with anger. "_You!_" He roared, pointing an accusing finger towards Harry. "How dare you bring my family into this! Didn't I mention that you are not to do any freakish things? You will pay for this, boy! You-"

Remus stood up next to Moody. His amber eyes were flashing, indicating he was struggling to control the wolf inside him. "I think, sir, that immediately blaming your nephew isn't the best thing to do." He said softly, but there was dangerous edge in his voice that instantly shut Vernon up. "And I assure you Harry had nothing to do with your appearance here."

"And since we are _finally_ granted with the _pleasure_ of meeting you in person-" Fred drawled, his voice deadly soft. George continued, his eyes glinting dangerously.

"We would be able to talk to you-"

"If you don't mind gracing us with your _precious_ presence, of course-"

"But even if you _do_ mind, we are going to talk anyways-"

"And I'm sure we'll have absolutely _wonderful_ time together-"

"As we _talk_ about some little things."

They finished in perfect sync, giving them shark-like predatory grin which did not calm the Dursleys at all. In fact, Vernon looked like he would give anything to run back to the safety of his home and Petunia was close to bursting into tears of fright, frantically looking around for anyone to help them. Dudley was the only one who didn't look like he'll faint any moment and while he did look a bit scared, he was looking around the Great Hall in undisguised awe.

"If _he_ didn't do it, then how did we get here?" Petunia asked fearfully, still pushing Dudley behind her. It seemed she would just ignore what the twins had said as if that would magically solve the problem. The said boy was watching everything with wide eyes, including Harry. It shocked him that eyes of his cousin held mere curiousity rather than usual cruelty and hatred in them.

_How odd,_ Harry mused, but he snapped back to reality when black grim growled menancingly at his relatives. The emerald eyed teen firmly gripped the dog's fur and pulled him towards him. He stroked the black furs reassuringly as he handed the calming potion to everyone around him and had to suppress a sigh. Now since Dursleys were here, he would have to be more careful to not to let Sirius go anywhere by himself. The last thing he needed was his godfather getting captured while he was dealing with the Dursleys.

"We are not very sure of that ourselves," The Headmaster replied, but his eyes lacked twinkles and they were cold and hard. "but it seems that you are going to join us in reading this interesting book containing information about your nephew's life. Will you please sit at the High Table?" He conjured three chairs and gestured at the end of the High Table, which happened to be next to Hagrid.

The half-giant glared at them darkly, and Harry couldn't help but smirk. Dumbledore was clever, placing them next to a wizard who didn't only look intimidating, but who also gave Dudley a pig tail. As predicted, Harry's relatives looked alarmed at the idea of being in the same room with Hagrid, let alone sitting right next to him. They scooted as far as they could away from the half-giant, every now and then shooting him wary looks.

"Now that's taken care of, let's focus on the book, shall we?" Katie asked in false cheerful voice to decrease some tension. It might have worked if not for the furious glares she was sending at the Dursleys. In fact, it seemed that the majority of the students were glaring daggers at the only muggles in the Hall, which was causing Vernon to glare back and straighten his posture, Petunia to shrink away in fear, and Dudley to stare at everyone dumbly.

* * *

_**[Page 94 - His school books were very interesting. He lay on his bed reading late into the night...]**_

Hermione beamed at Harry while Ron stared at him in horror as if he had grown an extra head.

"How can you like the school books?" He asked incredulously, clearly believing no one in their right mind would find the school books interesting. Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

"Honestly, Ron, just because you don't like reading books doesn't mean everyone else don't. Really, you need to grow up more. The O.W.L is coming up and if you keep lazing out like this you'll fail it!" Mrs. Weasley nodded, agreeing with Hermione. "And not all books are boring. You just have to try it! You always conclude every books are boring and don't even attempt to read them. The only thing you do to your best ability is Quidditch-"

"Quidditch is also important, Hermione! And I do try to read books, and I do study! From what you are saying, it sounds like the only thing I do is Quidditch-"

"Well, it is true!"

"It is _not_!"

"It _is_!"

"It's _not_!"

"Guys?"

"_What_?" Hermione and Ron turned to glare at Harry, who was regretting his choice to speak. Oh well, it was too late now. "You do realize everyone are waiting for you two to stop so we can listen properly, right?" Sure enough, every pair of eyes were trained on them, who flushed in deep red.

"Now look what you did, Ronald! You made me embarrass myself!"

"Oh, so _I'm_ embarrassing _you_?"

"_Guys_!" Harry raised his voice, effectively cutting off their argument. "Thank you."

* * *

_**[Page 95 - "Er - Uncle Vernon?" Uncle Vernon grunted to show he was listening...]**_

"You can understand your uncle's grunting?" Susan gasped in mock surprise. "I think you know how to talk to the trolls, Harry!"

"Harry, if you knew how to talk to them, why didn't you use that skill during our first year?" Hermione asked in fake anger, all the while biting inside of her cheeks to stop herself from laughing.

"Yeah, mate. That would have saved us from one of our 'adventures'" Ron agreed. Suppressing snort of amusement, Harry retorted. "Well, we wouldn't have been friends now, would we?"

They couldn't take it anymore. They burst out laughing, ignoring weird looks from students. Professors who knew about that particular incident scowled darkly (Snape), stared at them sternly (McGonagall) or merely sighed exasperatedly. People who had no idea about what they were talking about, however, were looking around frantically to try understand why the three Gryffindors were laughing. People like Remus, Sirius and Mrs. Weasley were going crazy with worry. Why on Merlin's name were they talking about _trolls_ of all things? And what was this about them being friends by facing a _troll_? Did they _really_ have an encounter with a troll in their first year?

* * *

_**[Page 96 - He got up and pulled on his jeans because he didn't want to walk into the station in his wizard's robes - he'd change on the train.]**_

"Clever boy." Tonks grinned. "I don't even know what I was thinking when I went there dressed in robes. I managed to freak out every muggle I met!" Hermione flushed next to her, causing all of them turned to stare at her. "You also wore it to King's Cross?"

"What? I forgot to ask Professor McGonagall about it!" She said defensively, but Harry focused in another matter. "Professor McGonagall visited you?"

"Yes. As a muggleborn she came to explain it in person so it will be more believable and also to answer questions we might have." She explained, taking joy on saying her knowledge as always. Ron snickered quietly behind his hand. "No doubt you asked millions of questions to professor."

"I heard that Ronald! If you were the one to go to a muggle school, won't you have many questions about it?" She shot back, and before another argument could take place Harry cut in. "So! A robe?"

Hermione blushed as their conversation got on to track. "Well, I thought we had to wear it to there. Really, I know it was silly of me to not think of muggles but I was too excited to think properly. Can you blame me? I was going to a school to learn _magic_!"

"Don't worry, kiddo, you aren't the only one. By the looks of it you and I aren't the only ones who did that." Her grin widened when few muggleborns blushed at her last statement. Harry frowned and held her hand up in stop gesture. "Hold on, but your mother is a witch. How come you didn't ask your mother about it?"

"Ah, yes. You see, my mother is rather mischievous sometimes and I might have pranked her." She said, and if it was even possible, Sirius barked proudly at that. Neville snorted in amusement. "So your mother purpously didn't tell you so you'll embarrass yourself in front of the muggles?"

"Well, yeah. But it was really great experience. You should've seen their faces when I walked in my wizard's robe. It was hilarious!"

"Thanks for the idea, Tonks!" Chorused the Weasley twins, beaming brightly at her, no doubt thinking of amount of chaos they would cause if they were to walk with their robes on in the muggle world. On the other hand, Mrs. Weasley looked frantic desperately trying to come up with a plan to stop them from doing so.

* * *

_**[Page 97 - There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle, nothing at all.]**_

"Hagrid, you didn't tell him how to get to the platform." Remus groaned,covering his face with his hands. As much as he loved his honorary godson, he had the worst luck from everyone he knew. That was saying something since that included the werewolves.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I should have told yeh." Hagrid apologized furiously, looking like he would burst into tears at any moment if Harry went into trouble because of his action. The Gryffindor was quick to reassure the half-giant, smiling as he did so.

"Nah, it's not your fault, Hagrid. Besides, if you did, I wouldn't have met one of the most best family in he world." Harry grinned at the Weasleys who smiled back in return. He was a honorary Weasley after all.

"Wait! But your aunt should know where it is. I mean, she would have saw her sister going there." Cho pointed out, and Harry stared at her blankly. "Yeah, she might have known how. So?"

"She could have told you."

"Yes, she could have. But she hates me." Harry said nonchalantly, not at all bothered about it. After all, he had fifteen years to accept the fact. But others didn't. As soon as he finished speaking, students sent their most vicious glare to the direction of the Dursleys, and some clutched their wands tightly as if they were itching to hex them.

* * *

_**[Page 98 - "-packed with Muggles, of course-"]**_

"Molly, you went there enough time to memorize the platform number." Mr. Weasley said, bemused. "You really should watch what you are saying, dear."

"Well, it's very distracting when you lead an army of over energetic boys." Mrs. Weasley said defensively, her face slightly red.

"Hey, what about me?" Ginny exclaimed, waving her arms widely as emphasis. Harry snorted at her antics. "What?"

"Other than that you just categorized yourself into an army of over energetic children? Nothing." Harry snickered at how Ginny's face turned redder than a tomato.

* * *

_**[Page 99 - He was tall, thin and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet and a long nose.]**_

"Harry!" Ron shouted, offended at his description. "I do not have big hands and feet and a long nose!"

"Hate to burst your bubble, mate, but you actually do." Harry replied and dodged the smack from Ron using his seeker reflex. "Hey, don't take out your anger on me. Her fact still remains that your hands, feet and nose are bigger and longer than average people." Harry quipped, grinning cheekily as Ron missed again.

"Don't you worry Ronnykins-" Fred slung his arm around his younger brother, grinning.

"-I'm sure your look will get better later on-"

"-though of course it won't be as dashing as ours."

"Oh, bugger off, you two." Ron scowled, swatting at them.

"Was that really George or Fred?" Terry asked, and devilish smirks appeared on the twins' faces. "Not telling!" They chorused, irritating the Ravenclaw. However, their smiles faltered when Luna calmly spoke up.

"It was George."

"What? How did you know that?" The twins all but whined, clearly not liking that someone else other than them could tell them apart. Luna only smiled mysteriously. "Are you a seer or something?"

"You don't have to be a seer to tell you apart." Luna tilted her face to side, looking faintly amused. "You just have to use your observational skill. Fred is slightly taller than George and George's voice is a bit higher than Fred."

"Thanks, Luna! Finally I have some chance at naming them correctly. It annoys me to no end when they start confusing me with their identity." Ginny exclaimed, grinning triumphantly at her brothers. She couldn't wait to be able to recognize them correctly.

"That's not fair!" The twins whined, pouting like a three years old. "How could you just tell people about our secret just like that?"

"Shut it, you two. It's not Luna's fault she's observant."

* * *

_**[Page101 - Harry sat down next to the window where, half-hidden, he could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying.]**_

"Eavesdropping, Harry?" Hermione frowned at her, but before Harry could say anything in his defense, the twins joined the conversation.

"We are so proud of you, Harry! You have more potential of prankster than we've previously thought!" They started congratuating Harry on his 'success', obvilious to a death glare the teen was sending to them. "Eavesdropping on us without either of us realizing is rather hard if we do say so ourselves."

"How modest of you." Harry deadpanned dryly. The twins either didn't notice the sarcasm or decided to ignore it.

"I know right?"

"We are probably the most modest people on Earth!"

"Quiet, will you? I'll rather finish this book sooner than later." Angelina said, casually waving her wand towards the twins. Instantly, they behaved themselves, and Harry sent a grateful look at her.

* * *

**_[Page 104 - "Anyone sitting here?" he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Harry. "Everywhere else is full."]_**

"'Everywhere else is full'? Ron, you just came there to see the famous Boy-Who-Lived, didn't you?" Hermione deadpanned. This time, Ron turned bright red and apologized to Harry. The emerald eyed teen waved the apology aside but he couldn't help but feel hurt that his best friend had come because he was famous.

"Really, Harry, I'm so sor-"

"Ron, I told you, it's fine. I am rather used to it right now, anyways. But I still hate people gawking at my scar. In fact, I dearly wish the bloody scar-"

"Language, Harry." Hermione scolded lightly.

"-will disappear." Harry continued and Tonks assured him in her usual cheerful voice. "Don't worry, Harry! You can learn some glamour charms to change your appearance and there's also a possibility that you are a metamorphmagus."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Your hair grew in one night and there is a chance that that might be your metamorphmagus skill rather than an accidental magic."

"Sweet! So I can turn into whoever I want to be?"

"Pretty much." Tonks agreed, winking at him. The twins, however, were focused more on their favorite topic: prank.

"Just imagine how we could use that ability." Fred moaned in wonder. "The possibilities are endless!"

"I know. It's just not fair only Harry gets that ability." George agreed, sniffing. Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes at their antics. "Oi, it's not certain I am a metamorphmagus, you know."

"We know but knowing your luck, you probably are. Although most of the time you are awfully unlucky, there are few times when your good luck acts up and when that happens, you have the Lady Luck's full attention."

"For example?" Harry pressed, skeptical.

"Well, you managed to survive this long, haven't you?" Harry blinked as he suddenly realized, yes, he was really lucky to be alive after all those life threatening situations he got himself into.

* * *

_**[Page 106 - "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to."]**_

"Ron, do you really feel that overshadowed by us?" Charlie asked, genuinely concerned for his youngest brother. True, since their parents were so busy with the number of children running around in the house, he didn't think Ron would feel so pressured. He knew as a fact that if Ron did any one of their accomplishments, his mother would work herself sick trying to throw the most grand party for him and even if he didn't do anything particularly special, they would love him regardless. That was what a family was for. They didn't judge because of some stupid grades.

"I, uh-" Ron stammered, his face turning pink like his ears.

Mrs. Weasley was overwhelmed by guillotines she felt. To be honest, she had favored her older children and subconsciously expected others to do as well as them. She also almost never bought anything new for younger kids these days and while it was because of their lack of money, it still didn't excuse the fact that she bought Percy an owl while Ron had to get his old rat. She swore to herself that she would never fail her children like this ever again.

"We are still going to talk about this." Mr. Weasley said, not leaving a room for argument. The Weasley siblings nodded in understanding.

Even after that, the entire Weasley family including the twins were solemn as they gazed at Ron, who was steadily turning red. Deciding to rescue Ron from the awkwardness, Harry grinned, clapping his best friend's shoulder. "Well, I don't know about you but I think you're not giving yourself much credit. I mean, who defeated a fully-grown troll in his first year? And faced the army of giant man-eating spiders? Hmm?"

"You also met the spiders." Ron pointed out, but Harry shook his head. "Nah. As many would agree, I'm a walking trouble-magnet and Harry bloody Potter. So I don't count."

The ginger-headed teen rolled his eyes at this but couldn't help but feel better. He made a mental note to thank Harry later.

* * *

_**[Page 106 - ...he told Ron all about having to wear Dudley's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. This seemed to cheer Ron up.]**_

"Ron! How can you get cheered up because Harry didn't have a good home life?" Hermione shrieked indignantly. Harry tried to interfere to stop the upcoming argument, but he was unsuccessful.

"Hermione, it's fine-."

"No! It's not fine, as you put it. He's taking pleasure in knowing your unhappiness, and he's no better than the Death Eaters who torture people for their entertainment!"

"Hey! I get it that it was wrong of me to be cheered up by that, but that's ridiculous! I was just glad that he wasn't going to tease me because my family wasn't rich, but I'm nothing like the Death Eaters! Besides, Harry sugar-coated the details so I didn't know he was really abused! If I knew, of course I would have told someone to stop it."

"Hermione, Ron's right. I did leave out the details, so it isn't his fault. Drop it, okay?" Harry set his jaw stubbornly and Hermione knew it was just useless argument. Besides, she was rather harsh. She turned slightly pink and they apologized to each other.

* * *

_**[Page 108 - "What are these?" Harry asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs. "They're not really frogs, are they?"]**_

"You eat frogs?" Dudley asked incredulously, and everyone were surprised that he was listening. Vernon looked furious that his son took interest in freakish stuff and asked the freaks about it. Petunia only looked frightened that someone will curse them any moment and clutched his son's arm tightly. Harry recovered first and replied to his question.

"No, Chocolate Frogs are just chocolates enchanted to move like its alive. I can give one if you like." Harry offered and Dudley was about to accept it when Vernon interrupted.

"No! I will not let my son eat something from _you_, boy! Do you think I forgot what happened when Dudders ate your _freakish_ treats? If you _ever_ even get near my son I'll-"

"You'll what, Mr. Dursley?" Susan asked, dangerously. Her usual cheerful-self was replaced by deadly aura and she raised her wand to point at the Dursley, ready to hex them. Hannah, who was also angry at Harry's relatives, shook her head.

"Susan, as much as I'd love to let you curse them to next century, I don't think it's a good idea. You'll definitely get into trouble if you do it!" She hissed, gripping Susan's arm to lower it. "Besides, you know the twins are planning a big prank on them so just wait for a little more while will you?" When it was obvious that she was not going to calm down, Hannah forced her to drink the calming potion.

Harry was also struggling to keep his friends in control. By one hand he was grabbing Snuffles and Ron, and with his other hand he held Remus and Ginny. Thankfully for him, Neville had better control of his anger and he was trying to make the twins drink the calming potion. Luna was also holding Hermione next to him, who was very eager to pounce at the Dursleys.

"Will you calm down? It's just an empty threat!"

However, even after yelling and pleading, they didn't calm down. The Dursleys had already been targeted by several stinging hexes from others who didn't get restrained. Some of the students swore that few professors even hexed them and it was believable since they had smiled smugly. It seemed like getting hexed after being forcefully brought to magic school was final straw for Vernon as he snapped and completely lost his temper. He stood up, roaring in anger as he began advancing towards Harry menacingly. The teen jerked back in reflex, his eyes wide with shock, and Sirius immediately jumped up to growl in front of Harry while Remus pushed him behind his back. His friends also whipped out their wands, but the Dursley didn't even see it, blinded by his fury.

"_Boy_! How _dare_ you bring us here against our will and curse us! You will pay for this dearly, you _ungrateful freak_-"

Several things happened at once: dozens of curses flew towards the enormously fat man, hitting him squarely on his chest. Some took advantage of this chaos and hexed Petunia Dursley as well, but fortunately for him, Dudley was spared since it seemed he was finally opening up to the idea of magic and he was also getting affected negatively from how his parents were treating him. If the Dursleys kept turning a blind eye for every wrong choices he made, it would only catch up with him in the future.

After curses weren't flying around in the air, Harry blinked as he looked at his relatives: or what _used_ to be his relatives. Due to the sheer number of hexes they were hit by, the result was rather...peculiar, to say the least, and a bit intriguing as well.

"Well, that was...satisfying." George commented as he looked at the hippopotamus covered in boils and terrified yet angry chihuahua besides Dudley. Fred laughed, his eyes glinting mischievously. "Yeah, it really was. But I still think they'll look better with sparkles and some pink paint." He said suggestively, eyeing his wand.

"...!" Apparently, one of the effect was being silenced but Vernon wasn't giving up. He continued screeching silently, no doubt insulting them and demanding to cancel the spells on both of them. Dudley kept looking back and forth between his parents, looking torn between being horrified and fascinated at magic, so he settled for just sitting still, waiting for someone to do something.

As it was clear nobody was going to step up anytime soon, Harry sighed, looking at no one in particular. "Can someone turn them back, please?" Of course, people opened their mouths to object but Harry swiftly cut them off.

"Yes, I know, they mistreated, me they deserve this and so on. But really, how are you planning to explain their disappearance? And the fact that somehow, a dog and hippo appeared magically right after they were gone? Muggles aren't stupid and won't just blindly believe it's just a coincidence and besides, someone's got to take care of them as I doubt Dudley knows how. And I am not washing them."

He stated firmly, shuddering at the thought. The twins gagged, screaming, "mental images!" and "my poor, poor mind!" and the entire student body expressed their displeasure as well. Ginny wrinkled her nose in distaste but logically pointed out.

"Well, we can just turn them back when it's time for them to go back. Besides, it's not like keeping them like this for few hours will risk us getting discovered."

Thus, the reason why there was a chihuahua, hippopotamus and very confused Dudley listening to the book at the High Table.

* * *

_**[Page 111 - ...he wailed, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"]**_

Neville complained along with his book-self. "I always lose him. He keeps trying to get away from me!"

"He just needs some freedom and time to be by himself. He likes you but he's kind of an explorer." Luna commented, causing Neville to blink owlishly at her. "How do you know that?"

"Well, although he tries to go to somewhere else, he always comes back, doesn't he? So he obviously is happy being with you but likes to find some new places. If he really wanted to escape, he would have by now."

"Wow, Luna, I didn't know you knew that much about animals!" Ginny exclaimed, a bit awed by the Ravenclaw's deduction.

"You just have to observe carefully. It's nothing much." She shrugged, staring intently at her goblet.

* * *

_**[Page 112 - She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.]**_

"Harry!"

"Sorry, okay? How was I suppose to know my thoughts would be written as a book and would be read to the entire population of Hogwarts?" Harry protested, dodging a swat aimed at his head. "Hey, no violence!"

"I'm not being violent. I'm just having a friendly squabble with you." Hermione justified her actions. She chased him around, trying to get him but he was too quick for her. Still, she displayed good speed, quick reflexes and surprising amount of flexibility. Finally, she managed to corner him, slightly panting from all the running she had to do.

"Alright, alright! You don't have a bossy sort of voice and large front teeth. But you have to admit, your hair is rather bushy." Harry added, once again skillfully dodging a playful punch.

"Shut it, you." Hermione rolled her eyes good-naturedly. It was rather refreshing exercising like this. Maybe Harry would be interested in doing again? After all, if they had to go into a war soon, it would probably be a good idea to be in good shape.

"Hey, not fair! Why do you apologize to her and not to me?" Ron cried out indignantly, scowling.

"That, my friend, is because while the description about you stand true, Hermione's wasn't." Harry chirped, laughing as he hid behind Remus. Meanwhile, Dudley was staring at the emerald-eyed teen curiously. This was not the Harry Potter he was used to. The one he knew was quiet, freakish and always had his guard up. But this Harry was different. Of course he was still weird but he never saw him so...carefree and cheerful.

* * *

_**[Page 112 - "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."]**_

The twins sniggered loudly, easily dodging Ron's swats aimed at their heads.

"I can't believe you really believed that spell." Fred said, ducking his head to avoid his younger brother's arm.

"Yeah. I thought you knew us better than that." George said, grinning as if he wasn't trying to avoid smacks that would be very painful if he got hit.

"I also can't believe I believed you." Ron replied, smirking when he finally hit both twins. "But really, couldn't you have messed the spell up more so it might have caused the rat pain or something?"

"Hey, you shouldn't deliberately try to hurt your pet or any animals for that matter. It's animal abuse!" Ernie shouted disapprovingly, clearly not pleased at what the Gryffindor said. Harry shook his head, explaining instead of his friend who was occupied in a sibling wrestling - though it seemed rather heated to Harry but then again he didn't have any sibling to compare to.

"It'll be explained in my third year." _And_ Sirius's innocence will be proved as well.

* * *

_**[Page 113 - "...I've learnt all our set books off by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough..."]**_

All students except for some Ravenclaws looked stunned at the fact that Hermione memorized the entire content of the textbooks. Harry wondered why. After all, she had proved time and time again what she was capable of and she did memorize the useless DADA textbook of Umbridge recently.

"Do we need to memorize them?" A first year asked fearfully, but was relieved when she got 'no' as her answer.

"How are you not in Ravenclaw?" Terry asked, and shuddered. "If she was qualified as more Gryffindor than Ravenclaw, then I don't want to know what kind of 'brave' things she'll do. She might even help Harry rob the Gringotts!"

"For the last time,_ I am not going to rob Gringotts! _Merlin, why are you guys so into this idea, anyways? I am _not_ crazy nor am I suicidal!"

"I beg to differ." Dozens of people coughed out, smiling innocently when Harry turned to glare at them.

* * *

_**[Page 116 - "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sorts."]**_

"You need to learn how to make friends." Harry told Draco absentmindedly. "It's no good if you start insulting someone's new friend." Draco sneered and held his head high, but inside his head he was pondering on what he just heard. So if he didn't insult the Weasel, Potter would have accepted his friendship? Wow, that book must be really messing with his head if he's thinking about these kind of things.

* * *

_**[Page 116 - Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than him or Ron.]**_

"You were really short when you were first year, Harry." Ron informed him. "You looked even more shorter when you stood near Crabbe and Goyle."

"Thanks a lot, Ron. It really helped my self-esteem." Harry said sarcastically.

"You are very welcome, Harry." Ron grinned cheekily as he dodged a punch aimed at him. Well, apparently having twin brothers who were ready to throw various kinds of pranks at him was good for his dodging skills.

* * *

_**[Page 119 - And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass.]**_

"The river is really cold. You should never go in there without warming charm." The twins shivered, and Harry looked at them strangely. "What? How did you end up going into there?"

"Well, you see, when we were just tiny little first years and was riding the boat, George here thought it was a great idea to try to see what's in the lake."

"I did say I was sorry!"

"Anyways, while he was observing, his weight caused the boat to rock and naturally we got dumped in the lake."

"How did you get out?" Dennis asked eagerly, as the story was similar to his own.

"A giant squid helped us! Come to think of it, we never got a chance to thank it." George mused, then snapped out of it when Remus chuckled to himself. "What?"

"It appears that the squid like helping the unfortunate first years who ended up in water." He explained. "When I was a first year James and my...other friends got too excited and caused the boat to flip over. We gave Hagrid a mild heart attack before we resurfaced. But when he saw the giant squid, well, he looked ready to abandon us dive into the river in order to befriend it if it wasn't his responsibility to get him to the school."

Harry grinned, amused. That was so like Hagrid, the animal lover, that he could picture it in his head without a problem.

* * *

"That's the end of the chapter." Dumbledore announced, as the book closed itself shut. "Now that will be enough reading for today. Eat your dinner and go to your dormitories. You should be here until seven o'clock tomorrow and the guests will be escorted to spare rooms. Hagrid, if you will?"

The Dursleys - after Dumbledore reverted them back to their normal-selves, much to the disappointment of the students - looked terrified at the idea of being lead by Hagrid and more than several students could've sworn they saw their Headmaster chuckling to himself. Umbridge and the Minister only looked disappointed they couldn't get any dirt on Dumbledore and Harry today.

The Great Hall instantly erupted into chatter, all of them discussing what they've read so far and what were their opinions. Harry, who was busy filling his hungry stomach, didn't see the twin's maniac grins. Tonight, the Dursleys were going to pay for what they did and no one could stop them.


	8. The Prank

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

**The Prank**

* * *

Vernon Dursley had never been more glad than he was right now after that horrid giant man left his family.

Throughout their entire walk, that man had glared at them - _As if_ they_ were the ones who were different and freakish!_ \- and flexed his muscles intimidatingly. Vernon could swear that he heard the giant grumbling darkly about feeding his perfect normal family to some animals-with-strange-names. However, he was completely certain that those animals were poisonous and _very_ dangerous beasts.

Finally, the man left, leaving them in peace. His dear wife regained her composure, and sniffed disdainfully at their room that they were going to have to sleep in. It was quite large, bigger than their room and Dudley's combined. There were three beds, one bathroom, tables and chairs. Few pictures - _Thankfully unmoving. These people and their crazy imaginations were absolutely ridiculous. Moving portraits!_ \- were there, too, but other than that, it was rather plain.

_"Wizards."_ Petunia sneered. "They could have at least tried to give us a clean and decent room."

"I know, Pet. That boy had ruined our life _again. _But don't worry, dear, I won't let them do anything to us."

Vernon declared with utter confidence, and Petunia smiled sweetly at her husband. Dudley shuffled towards one of the beds, trying to decide which one was the most comfortable one. _The right one_, he decided, and moved towards it, only to let out a loud scream when a _living brown frog_ leaped up from the bed.

"What in the world-?"

Vernon spluttered in confusion when four more frogs hopped into the room, announcing their existence. Petunia shrieked in horror when dozens of more frogs appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and clinged tightly on to her husband and son.

"Get it off! Get it off!"

Dudley wailed, running back and forth, flinging his arms wildly. Seven frogs had reached his pants and three very skilled frogs at jumping manged to land on his head. One of them was croaking triumphantly on his nose. Petunia screeched hysterically as frogs crawled up her clothes, paralyzed with fear as she stood, rooted to the ground.

"Petunia! Dudders!"

Vernon tried to avoid the sea of brown disgusting slimy amphibians while trying to go near his wife and son, but his reward was getting showered with frogs. Roaring in anger, he started stomping forward, no longer caring if he stepped on them or not. He was surprised to discover that they seemed to crack, and blood was nowhere to be seem.

"Is that...chocolate?"

Petunia asked weakly, pausing briefly from trying to shake off the frogs. Dudley regarded the one sitting one his nose carefully and grabbed it before it had a chance to escape. After a moment of hesitation, he threw it into his mouth and started munching.

"It is chocolate. I think it's one of those Chocolate Frogs that was mentioned in the book." Dudley answered his mother while stuffing as many frogs as he could into his mouth. "And there's even some kind of candies inside it."

"Don't eat these kind of stuff, Dudley." Vernon said gruffly, scowling down at his chocolate-stained clothes."You never know what they'll do to you."

"But they are tasty, though." Dudley argued, still picking up the chocolates which were frantically trying to get away from him. "Besides, Potter and his friends ate it in the book, didn't they? And the book never mentioned anything happening to them."

"Oh my gods! _Dudley!" _Petunia shrieked, terrified at the sight before her. In front of her very eyes, his precious son was morphing into..._something_. "What, what's happening?"

Indeed, Dudley was quickly transforming into something that they had yet to know. His head became rounder and more pink and his nose became larger and more flat. His arms grew longer and hairier, while feathers appeared all over his body. His feet was green and webbed, and it ripped the shoes Dudley was wearing as it grew bigger. He also had a long pink tail. He looked like a mixture of pig, monkey, bird, frog and rat.

_"Dudley!"_ Vernon roared in rage, but his shout changed into scream of horror. With a loud bang, smoke enveloped Vernon, and when the smoke disappeared, he was left wearing a very poofy dress. It was white and rather long, reaching the ground. It was fairly beautiful, but Vernon somehow managed to make it look horrible. It was a miracle that it didn't get ripped because of his size.

"Oh, no, Vernon!" Petunia shrieked again, terrified at the sight before her. Dudley gave a high pitched squeal that sounded like mixture of pig's squeak and frog's croak. Finally getting out of her shock, Petunia searched for some clothes for her husband to wear other than that horrendous dress, but with no such luck. She whimpered pitifully, having no idea what to do. Suddenly, a pie appeared on the table, and the Dursley family eyed it distrustfully. After what happened to them just now, they could no longer trust anything.

"S,stay back!" Petunia demanded, her voice quivering slightly from fear. Other than her, no one else were in condition to say anything as they were unable to make a proper communication (Dudley) and was literally dying from embarrassment and anger (Vernon). The pie inched forward. "I said, stay back!"

It didn't even occur to Petunia that talking to an object that clearly wasn't alive was very abnormal and the fact that she detested anything that was not normal. But at the moment, she couldn't care less as she was going crazy with fear at the possibility of something happening to her like it did with the rest of her family. Unfortunately for her, the pie didn't disappoint her worries.

_"ARGHHHH!"_

She screamed as the pie lurched itself forward at her, landing squarely on her face. More pies appeared and started propelling themselves at the Dursleys, who were busy trying to avoid as much pies as possible. Somehow, majority of the pies managed to hit their faces or any parts of their bodies.

"Let's get out of here!"

Vernon screamed, at last finding his voice back. They headed for the door, but it was locked. They pounded at the door, yelling and screaming, even begging to be let out until Vernon decided to break the door. He stumbled backwards - not even tripping once which was amazing seeing how he was still wearing a dress with pies flying everywhere - and ran towards the door, aiming his shoulder to crash into the door...

...and just then, the door opened.

"_Gah_!"

Vernon, not being able to stop himself, crashed head-first into the wall. Abruptly, flapping of wings and hoots of owls could be heard. Hundreds of owls, their eyes locked only on the Dursleys, emerged from the end of the corridor. A beautiful white owl, who was the fastest and was leading the army of owls, reached them first and she flung something that she was carrying with her beak towards Vernon.

"What the-?"

It turns out that 'something' was a firecracker, and it exploded in front of Vernon's face. Giant dragon-shaped fire erupted out of it, and roared, fire coming out of its mouth. The spark from it caught on his beard, and a second later, fire burned merrily on Vernon's face.

_"ARGHHHHHH!"_

Vernon, his entire face covered in soot, was instantly on his feet, running for his dear life with rest of his family right behind him. The owls followed, scratching and pecking them that they were bleeding. Had they turned back and saw carefully through the sea of wings, they would have saw group of teenagers laughing so hard that they were nearly crying.

* * *

"That. Was. Totally. _Awesome_!" Ginny gasped out through her laughter, clutching her side that was hurting because of laughing for full five minutes non-stop.

"I know!" George and Fred exclaimed at the same time, their faces red. "Did you see their faces? It was hillarious!"

"It was a pity I had to give up that pretty dress, but oh well. It was _so_ worth it."

Hermione tried to control her hysterical giggling, but with no success. "How did you guys do that? I mean, I know how the pie thing worked. I was the one to charm it, after all. But what did you do to Dudley? He looked like he had a terrible transfiguration accident or something."

"Oh, that? It's an Transformation Toffee. We invented it." The twins puffed up their chests, obviously feeling proud for themselves. "It transforms you into a particular animal for one toffee. We put some inside the Chocolate Frogs and since the pig ate way too much, he became the combination of the animals. It will wear off in couple of hours but considering the amount that he ate, we are pretty sure it would last through tomorrow. Anyways, we are glad it worked. We couldn't test it properly because we might get caught by mom."

"That was bloody brilliant. Do you think we can sneak some in his food again?" Ron asked eagerly, happily dreaming about their next prank. Neville rolled his eyes at his friend's childishness, but faint smile was tugging on his lips.

"Hey, Colin. Did you get some nice pictures?"

"Yes! They are all perfect. All we need to do now is put it in some potion and it will move!" Colin chattered on excitedly, waving his camera wildly. The group chuckled at the pictures as they headed towards Gryffindor Tower, itching to deliver the news to the rest of the people. Not all people could come to witness the prank since that would make them more likely to be discovered, so they agreed for hearing their tale and examining the pictures that Colin would take at tomorrow morning.

"Mr. Creevey? Ms. Granger, Ms. Weasley and Messrs. Weasley? What is the meaning of this?"

Professor McGonagall demanded, who was heading towards the noise to find out the cause of the noise. The Gryffindors paled and stiffened as they faced their strict Head of the House. In their excitement, they forgot how much noise they would be causing and didn't put up a silencing charm. Now they had no idea how they would explain it to her.

"Mr. Creevey, what is that camera for?"

Professor McGonagall shot another question as it was clear that they weren't going to answer her. Surprised and scared, Colin fumbled with his camera which was snatched away by the Transfiguration Professor. Her lips got thinner and thinner as she observed the pictures, but it wasn't from the anger. It was from amusement.

"Well, I assume that you had a very..._entertaining_ evening. Yes?"

The students nodded silently, not knowing how they were going to get out of this mess. Probably they'll be docked off chunks of points and get tons detentions.

"In that case, I...cannot punish you for, ah, having fun, now, can I?"

Their mouths dropped. Whatever they were expecting, it certainly wasn't this. Professor seemed to read their minds, and her eyes twinkled bemusedly, very similar to the Headmaster's eyes.

"But I must request that if after you finish with the pictures, to give me the copy of it. After all, I would love to have some...pictures of Mr. Potter's relatives. What kind of teacher doesn't know the guardians of her student?"

Professor McGonagall said with fake innocence and the Gryffindors' faces split into devilish grins.

"Of course, professor. We will make sure you get one of the copies. We were planning to distribute them anyways." Ginny spoke up.

"Good. Now off you go and five points from each of you for staying past the curfew. You should know better than that Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley as you are prefects." She shooed them away, but they all could swear that they heard her muttering, "And ten points for each of you for doing justice."

The Gryffindors entered their dormitory, satisfied with their success.

* * *

Minerva McGonagall was usually very controlled person. She rarely showed any emotions and she was proud to say that she judged her students fairly and showed no obvious favoritism. Normally, faint smile playing around her lips was the biggest amount of emotion she showed, which was why her colleagues were very shocked to find her entering the Headmaster's office laughing hysterically.

"Oh, sorry. Did, did I miss anything?" She managed to control her laughter, but every now and then, a burst of giggles escaped her lips.

"No. But it seems that _we_ are missing something important." The Potions Master drawled. "What is it that made you lose control of yourself so much?" Every pair of eyes trained on the Transfiguration Professor as she let out another stream of giggling.

"Oh, you wouldn't believe what my lions did!" She exclaimed. "They pranked the Dursleys, and I'm sure they clearly got the message not to mess with Harry anymore. I'll be surprised if they don't run away screaming from Harry and his friends and don't treat him with more care than before."

"Which brings us to the reason why we are here." Madam Pomfrey said, brandishing the parchments containing Harry's injuries. "Mr. Potter will not be sent to those horrid people ever again."

"But the blood wards-" Dumbledore tried to explain, but was cut off by furious dog animagi.

"Blood wards my arse, Dumbledore." Sirius growled, his eyes flashing dangerously that made people around him doubt he didn't lose his sanity during his stay in Azkaban. "Harry will not go there and that's final. I don't _care_ if we have to set up every single protection for him to replace the blood wards. _I. Don't. Care. _He will not go there and I'm sure majority of people in here agree with me."

"Albus, just look at this. Some of his bones got broken. _Broken!_ He once had numerous bruises all over his body and his growth was seriously affected. I don't even want to know the details of his childhood as I'm sure those people made sure he had a miserable life. Even if Harry staying with them will defeat You-Know-Who, I still won't send him. You hear me?" Madam Pomfrey waved the parchments in front of the Headmaster's face.

"_Broken bones_?" Sirius exploded. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Well, I knew you would react very strongly to that news and I couldn't have my Hospital Wing destroyed. There are numerous injured students that I need to cure everyday. Besides, it's better explaining it only once than saying it over and over." The medi-witch grimaced. "Believe me, I hate it as well. I can't believe I didn't find it out before. That boy got carried to my Hospital Wing more than I can count and it still slipped away from my notice."

"You needed _four _parchments? That's much longer than his parents' injuries combined!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed, completely shocked. Others were also gaping at the parchment as if it was the biggest wonder in the world.

"I don't want to explain every single injuries he got as it would take ages. But he needs to drink all three nutrition potions after every meal, get checked by me regularly so I can see whether his health is improving or not, and I will see if I can find a healer for his eyesight." Madam Pomfrey shot all people in the room a stern glare. "I expect from every one of you to watch him carefully and give him help if he needs it. Yes, and that includes you, Severus. I don't care if you think he's an arrogant and spoiled boy - which, by the way, is not true as you should know by now."

The Head of the Syltherin scowled and looked way from her. Others nodded earnestly, ready to help the Harry Potter.

* * *

_Flash of green light, and Cedric was falling, his eyes frozen with shock and disbelief that will be there forever. His body fell to the ground with soft thud, never to rise again. Harry screamed, trying to reach for him, only to be bounded and gagged. Wormtail, the traitor, used the bone of Voldemort's father, cut his own arm and Harry's. A cruel laughter filled the air and all he felt was pain..._

The dream changed.

_He was running through the corridors. There, at last, he could see the door. An insane urge to open the door and find out what was in it overwhelmed him, and he reached for it. Few more seconds, and he would reach it... His pale fingers nearly brushed against the handle..._

Harry bolted awake, his mouth open in silent scream. His scar hurt, and it was swollen and was bleeding. Again. Harry grimaced as he gingerly touched the tender area. Oh well. Good thing he thought about casting the silencing charm. Otherwise, he would have woke at least half of the castle screaming bloody murder.

After quickly tending his scar, Harry quietly sneaked into the common room. He sat on his usual spot, staring at the fire. Whenever he woke up from his not-so-peaceful-sleep, he learned that watching the fire helped him relax and sometimes he even managed some hours of sleep. None of his friends knew it, of course, as they would always worry and lecture him about having a healthy amount of sleep.

"Harry?"

The raven-haired teen jumped, his hand halfway from reaching his wand, when he realized it was Sirius.

"Sirius? What are you doing here? What if someone sees you? You'll be scentenced to a Dementor's Kiss!"

"Whoa, slow down, pup, will you? As for you're questions, I'm here to see my godson and I have Notice-Me-Not charm and many others to ensure that no one can see me except for you and few selected others. So unless I don't do anything idiotic like running in the hallways with my hair dyed neon pink and screaming 'Slytherins are awsome!', no one will notice me." Sirius made a face at the thought. "Anyways, aren't you glad to see me? How about some hug?"

Finally Harry relaxed and embraced the older man who was his father figure. He was really glad to see him. It felt so good, knowing there was someone out there who cared for him. Of course, there were his friends, too, but they didn't really understand. How it felt when your own family hated you and how it felt when people accused you of something you weren't.

"So, pup, as much as I'd love to chat all day long with you, I must ask. Why aren't you sleeping?"

"Couldn't sleep." Harry told him half-truth. "What about you? Why aren't _you_ sleeping?"

"Well, we had this Order meeting that was really boring. Oh, and by the way, Pomfrey says when she's going to contact a healer for your eyes. I begged, pleaded, yelled, and did all sort of things until I got the permission to meet you. Moony helped. But I still have to stay as a dog when we go outside the Gryffindor Tower and when we are in presence of another people. As if I don't know that." Sirius muttered the last part to himself, but Harry heard him anyways. "So, you wanna go out? It's early, but it's better than sitting here doing nothing."

"Wait, what time is it?"

"Four in the morning."

"Oh, I stayed up that long?" Harry blushed. "Oops."

"It's okay, kiddo. Come on, I'm itching to enjoy this freedom." Sirius grinned, and turned into a grim. Harry flashed a grin of his own and opened the door to go out to the ground. The black dog barked happily, chasing butterflies and running all around. Harry leaned against the tree, watching Sirius. Right now, he could almost believe that he was just a normal teenager with slightly immature godfather and forgot all about his guilt, crazy killing-obessed Dark Lord and his life being read to the entire Wizarding World.


	9. The Sorting Hat

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

**Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone**

**The Sorting Hat**

* * *

A loud and sickeningly cheerful music rang out through the entire Hogwarts, and soon, half-asleep and grumbling student body flooded into the Great Hall. Harry and Snuffles made their way towards the Great Hall, neither willing to be late and face the consequences. Well, Sirius would love to annoy her, but Harry didn't want to give her more opportunities to put him in more detention.

When they entered, students were clustered around the Gryffindor Table, howling in laughter at something they held in their hands. Harry frowned, trying to get hold of one of those, but they noticed him in the last second and whipped it away. Irritated, Harry decided to directly ask his friends, who seemed to be handing them out.

"Okay, what is going on?"

"A surprise won't be a surprise if we tell you. We'll tell you later." The Weasley twins said mischievously and Harry's frustration grew as Remus allowed Sirius to take a peek at whatever the thing was. But he sighed and let go of the matter. He would corner them later.

Hermione patted a seat next to her for him to sit while reaching out for some healthy food. She glared at Ron who was stuffing his face with everything that were within his reach, not even swallowing the stuff before he spoke.

"Hey, mate, where were you this morning?" Ginny took action and smacked her older brother's head, her patience with her brother' eating habits running thin. Ron quickly gulped the food in his mouth and started speaking again. "I mean, you weren't in the dormitory."

"I just went for a walk with Snuffles. No big deal." Harry waved it off, swiftly leaving out the part about his nightmares.

"Lucky you. A least you didn't wake up by a _lovely_ music right ringing right next to your ear." Ron grumbled, sarcasm dripping from every words. Harry winced in sympathy at that, figuring it was similar to waking up from his aunt's shrill voice.

"He practically woke the rest of us with his screeching." Neville said, shaking his head. amused. "He was running all around, screaming that his ears were damaged permanently. Personally, I think _he_ made _my_ ears deaf and Dean and Seamus even fell out of their beds because of him."

"Hem hem." Their chat was cut short when Umbridge cleared her throat, and she smiled sweetly at the whole students. "I am very happy to discover that all of you managed to be here-"

Her speech was cut sure when the Dursley family chose that very moment to barge in.

"Is Uncle Vernon wearing a _dress_?"

Harry's jaw dropped, completely taken aback and certain that he was hallucinating. Vernon Dursley was wearing a battered, white dress that clearly had seen better days. His mustache was half-burned, and his face was red, which Harry guessed was because of running from how he was trying to catch his breath.

Dudley looked as if he attempted to transfigured himself into an animal, but failed and each of his body parts took a form of a random animal's. However, the effects seemed to be fading, and they could see Dudley slowly turning into himself.

Petunia was covered in pie and chocolate, like the rest of the Dursley family, and her clothes were singed as well. She probably had screamed a lot since her voice was raspy and dry.

The Great Hall burst into laughter, and even the professors were ducking behind their seats to hide their snickers. The only one who weren't laughing outright were Umbridge (she was scowling at the noise people were making and how nobody was paying attention to her), Fudge (he looked confused how he should react at this situation), and Snape (but then again, he never laughed at least in public but even he had a smirk on his face that seemed to irritate Petunia in particular).

"This is your doing, isn't it?" Harry hissed in the chaos, and the twins answered him after wiping off the tears they got from laughing too much.

"Yep, and we have these pictures." He showed off some he had left. They contained Chocolate Frogs leaping at the Dursleys who were screaming, Dudley turning into mixture of animals, Petunia getting her face full of pie and Vernon's mustache getting burned by a fire dragon.

"Unbelievable." Harry breathed out, staring at the photos. Then suddenly, a mischievous smirk appeared on his face. "Hey, Fred, you won't mind if I take these, right? I mean, I don't have any pictures of my _dear_ relatives."

Fred seemed surprised for a moment, but quickly recovered. "Sure, I can always ask Colin to make more copies. We are gonna recount the story again in the Gryffindor common room. If you want you can join us. I'm sure all Gryffindors are going to come to listen."

"This is outrageous!" Vernon bellowed, not being able to deal with people laughing at _them_. Unfortunately for him, his effort for trying to look intimidating was useless, seeing how he was in a dress. "I demand that whoever did this to embarrass my poor family to be punished! I also want to be sent to our home immediately because of this rudeness. You should be ashamed of yourselves!"

"Ah, now Mr. Dursley, I'm sure the students who did this only did it for some fun. No need to get so angry." The Headmaster spoke up, but his twinkling eyes only seemed to irritate Vernon.

"_You_!" Vernon roared, pointing at his nephew who was watching the whole situation. "You did this! How dare you-!"

"Excuse me, Mr. Dursley, but are you saying I, the Head of the House, won't know if the students went out of their dormitory after the curfew?" Professor McGonagall asked, glaring with little more intensity than needed. Vernon seemed to shrink under the stern professor's gaze.

"Right, then." Umbridge huffed, finally gaining control. She waved her wand over the Dursley family and they returned to normal. "Let's get started, shall we?"

Harry didn't really pay attention to any of this because he was busy observing his so-called family. He noted with surprise that Dudley didn't dive mouth-first into the piles of food in front of him. Huh, must be something related to what happened last night. At least he would be dieting.

* * *

_**[Page 121 - The Entrance Hall was so big you could have fitted the whole Dursleys' house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts...]**_

"Great observation skills, Harry." Remus complimented, and Harry blushed. Suddenly, Ron made a face, causing Hermione to frown at him.

"What's wrong?"

"I just had a thought. If Harry keeps being this descriptive, then imagine how he will describe the adventures he went through."

"Oh, I didn't think about that." Hermione shuddered, and glanced at Harry worriedly. "Harry? Do you have any idea how you would have described them?"

"Uh, no actually. But I'm pretty sure nothing's so bad...I hope." That didn't reassure them.

* * *

_**[Page 122 - "Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly..."]**_

"Hey, her speech is same as the one I heard when I was first year." Bill exclaimed. "Huh, I guess there is no need to change it."

Meanwhile, Professor Sprout eyed the Transfiguration Professor slyly. "'Smarten yourselves', Minerva? You know that would scare the already frightened kids."

Professor McGonagall chuckled. "Well, it is rather amusing to see their reactions. They look like they are about to go into battlefield instead of school. Besides, I'm not the only one doing that. The ghosts, for example, always turns up at the exact moment when the first years are left alone, pretending to talk casually."

The Dursleys scoffed as they heard the conversation. Hah, as if ghosts existed! It didn't cross their minds that wizards and magic was also considered as myth. Only Dudley looked scared at the possibility of meeting the actual ghost.

* * *

_**[Page 122 - Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.]**_

"It won't work." Remus said amusedly. "James once tried to tame his hair and with the help of Lily, he used about five bottles of gels. Unfortunately for him, his hair only became spiky and it wasn't tamed."

"Water doesn't work either. Remember in the second task in Triwizard Champion, Harry's hair was so wild even when it was soaked with water." Neville grinned at the memory while Ron snickered a bit.

"Thank you, thank you. I am really confident in my looks right now." Harry deadpanned.

* * *

_**[Page 123 - He'd never been more nervous, never, not even when he'd had to take a report home to the Dursleys saying that he'd somehow turned his teacher's wig blue.]**_

"You turned your teacher's wig blue?" Bill asked amusedly, but his tone changed into worried one. "Wait, the Dursleys didn't punish you, did they?"

"A week in the cupboard." Harry mumbled reluctantly, and the three muggles received venomous glares. The Weasley twins discretely opened a Chocolate Frog package and sent one towards them.

"_Ack!_"

Dudley, who still hadn't completely changed into himself, let out a squeal that sounded like a mixture of pig's wail and monkey's cry. He jumped backwards to get away from the frog and fell from the chair he was sitting in the process.

The other two weren't better. They also stumbled backwards and in their haste to get away, they knocked down some desserts. In the end, the three of them looked as if they had just come from a dessert war.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Dursley?" The Headmaster asked politely.

Blushing like three tomatoes, the Dursleys quickly sat on their bench - after checking if the Chocolate Frog was gone, of course - and tried to act as if nothing happened. This was proving to be difficult since the students were laughing their heads off and they were covered in sweets. However, no one made a move to help them clean themselves. So they had no choice but to stay like that.

* * *

_**[Page 123 - About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall.]**_

"Wait a minute." Charlie exclaimed. "They did exactly same thing when I first came to Hogwarts. So they do that on purpose? Huh, the ghosts never stroked me as mischievous side."

The twins seemed to perk up a at the idea.

"Just imagine what brilliant ideas of pranks they would come up with!" Fred gushed, visibly trembling with excitements.

"And think about how they won't even get caught." George grinned his Cheshire grin. "When we make an alliance with them, we will be able to do the greatest pranks ever!" The twins whooped in joy, and immediately started planning how they would convince the ghosts. Susan and Hannah also scooted closer as they debated on the best way to persuade them.

"Maybe we can offer them something?" Hannah suggested, then shook her head. "No. Does the ghost even _need_ anything? I mean they are _ghosts_ so they won't need any food or clothes."

"Oh, I know! Let's have Peeves in our prank team as well! Everyone knows how good he is at playing a prank." Susan shouted gleefully, rubbing her hands together in anticipation. The other three perked up at the idea as well, completely delighted.

"That's a fabulous idea! He'll be a great help!"

"But how do we know whether he won't turn on us or something?"

"Don't worry. He _loves_ pranks! He'll never risk ruining a prank." The twins said confidently.

* * *

_**[Page 125 - He heard Hermione whisper, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside, I read about it in **_**Hogwarts: A History.**_**"]**_

"Is there anything that you _don't_ know?" Terry asked the Gryffindor curiously and a little enviously. Hermione seemed to be flustered at the question, and Ron answered him.

"Yeah, she doesn't know how to not know something." Hermione's friends snickered when she turned to smack Ron's head. Luna on the other hand, considered Ron's answer thoughtfully.

"That statement is not true because if she doesn't know how to not know something, then she knows how to not know something. But in that case, she doesn't know how to not something, and the statement becomes true..." She mused, while the others tried to understand what the blond Ravenclaw was saying.

"Okay, so Hermione knows everything. Let's leave it like that, much more easier." Ron decided, giving up on trying to wrap his head around Luna's statement.

* * *

_**[Page 125 - A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing.]**_

"A singing hat? Completely crazy, the lot of them." Vernon muttered darkly under his breath, and tried his best to ignore the sticky substance that was covering him. The staff scowled at him as he continued insulting their traditions and their mood sunk even lower when they realized he really didn't care if they heard him or not. It was disgusting how rude and close-minded this man was and they were thankful Harry wasn't similar to him in any way.

Meanwhile, students were cheering along their book-selves as if the sorting was happening again. They outright ignored Umbridge's demands for silence and clapped enthusiastically whenever someone was sorted into their House. They also agreed wholeheartedly at the nervous thoughts the past-Harry was having as they could easily relate to it.

Harry, however, wasn't enjoying himself as much as his friends were. He was starting to get worried about their reactions if they found out the Hat considered putting him in Slytherin. He didn't care a lot about the public's opinion since he knew even if they viewed him as their hero and practically worshipped him now, the second he did something wrong, they were pointing fingers and spreading awful rumors about himself. But it still hurt when they readily abandoned him and if he was a bit scared for the public's opinion, he was completely _terrified_ of what his friends' would think. They were, after all, the only family he ever had. What if they were disgusted by him? Or thought he was a Dark wizard? Will they be mad he never said anything about it? What if they never wanted to see him again?

"Harry, is everything alright?" Remus gently shook his shoulders, jolting him out of his mild panic attack. He blinked, then realized Remus was still waiting for his answer, concern evident in his eyes. "Oh, yeah, sure. Nothing's wrong."

"If you say so." Clearly he didn't believe it for a second but dropped the subject. Harry sighed, mentally bracing himself since he knew as a fact that they would be strong reactions when the fact was revealed.

* * *

_**[Page 127 - "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."]**_

"Can't believe you believed _that_." Fred snickered. "I mean, did you really think Dumbledore would let first years fight troll without any knowledge?"

"Does your family have a seer blood? 'Cause it sure looks like it." Ignoring Fred's comment, Harry whispered to Ron who agreed with him. Seeing this, Fred stared at them in growing horror. "Wait, don't tell me. Did you really wrestle a troll?"

"No, of course not." The Golden Trio immediately replied, too quickly for Fred's comfort. "Why would we ever wrestle a troll?"

"Wait, but you three did mention something about becoming friends by facing a troll." George cut them off, eyeing them suspiciously. "Did you really wrestle a troll? And don't bother trying to lie 'cause we are the master of lying. We will know if you don't tell us the truth. Now, did you? Well?"

"Uh..." The trio glanced at each other uncertainly, no sure how they should answer. "It will be explained in the book?"

"You know I'm really getting sick of hearing that." Neville muttered, grabbing some potions that were nearest to him. He was trying to save some for when his friends' real 'adventures' would start since he had no doubt they were completely reckless and suicidal. Good thing Madam Pomfrey filled the empty vials yesterday.

* * *

_**[Page 130 - "You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that..."]**_

"Sorting Hat wanted to put Harry Potter in _Slytherin_?" Someone said the question which was going through everyone's mind aloud. Everyone had varying reactions.

Snape seemed to be indifferent on the outside, but mentally, he was hopelessly confused. Harry bloody Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, in _his_ House? Son of his old enemy, James Potter? That wasn't possible. Every Potter should be reckless Gryffindor's, ready to jump head-first into any trouble they find.

And yet, here it was, the very proof how his belief was wrong. If it wasn't for that Weasley and Hagrid, Potter would have been placed in Slytherin and under his responsibility. He didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed. But he _was_ disappointed in himself.

He failed to see that. Lily's son was abused and couldn't help him. There were many abused children in Slytherin, so out of all people, _he_ should have seen the symptoms and helped him. For the first time, Snape felt guilty, and promised to himself that he will help Potter no matter his personal feelings, like Poppy wanted him to do.

The Slytherins were the most baffled group. Most of them had hated, no, _loathed _Harry Potter. But he could have been one of _them_.

"This is crazy." Draco muttered disbelievingly, slowly shaking his head. "_Potter_ a _Slytherin_?"

"I wonder what would have happened if he did come here." Astoria mumbled to herself, and Daphne nudged her with her elbow. "Now is not the time to imagine things. What's done is done."

"But do you think we can talk to him? I mean, he should have been a Slytherin if it was not for the Weasley boy." Astoria looked up at her with wide, hopeful eyes. "I just want to know if he's really a Gryffindor like everyone says. Seeing how the Sorting Hat tried to put him in our House, I don't think he's as reckless as we believed."

Daphne met Astoria's eyes. _Damn it._ She sighed. After all, she always had a soft spot for her sister. "We'll think about it later, Astoria." She beamed at her, and turned her attention to some whispering Slytherins. Daphne glanced curiously at the raven haired boy.

Despite how disinterested she looked, she wanted to see the true Harry Potter as well. Perhaps they would be lucky and he was a real snake among the lions. Or maybe he was just a typical Gryffindor. She didn't even know which one she should be hoping for. However, small part of her couldn't help but hope for the former.

It would be nice to have a friend since she had none except for her sister because of her icy attitude. As soon as that thought came, she fiercely shook her head. No, it would be stupid to hope for that. No one would want to be friends with the Slytherin Ice Queen. Once again, she gazed at the teen with emerald eyes.

Harry shifted uncomfortably under everyone's gaze. There was a reason why he kept that part of information as secret. He didn't even tell Ron and Hermione! Now he knew he would be accused for being dark, _again_. The victorious glint in Umbridge's eyes promised that.

Though he couldn't gather enough confidence in himself to look at his friends but he risked a glance towards the student population but wished he hadn't. They looked wary, wary of him. His heart sank, and desperation took over. He started searching people's face, praying any of them - _anyone_ \- didn't think he was dark, but a voice stopped him.

"You should try to develop your Slytherin skills." Luna blinked up at Harry, either unaware of the gaze of entire students or ignoring it. "You are going against a very powerful Slytherin, so I personally think you should at least have some skills. But of course, wizards will say you are going dark." Luna frowned and sighed. "It's so sad that most wizards are so close-minded."

Harry merely gaped at her for being so calm and for saying that. He started when he felt something touching his right arm, only to realize that it was Sirius. The grim gave the teen a bark and snuggled closer, as if trying to say, 'I will always be with you no matter what.' To Harry's relief, his friends patted him as well and even threatening to hex students who were gawking or glaring at him.

Although the suspicious looks didn't completely stop - as Luna said, wizards could be very close-minded - his friends didn't think he was becoming dark and that was all that mattered to Harry.

* * *

_**[Page 133 - "How did he get covered in blood?" "I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.]**_

"Well, I wouldn't ask him how he died, either. I mean, Bloody Baron is downright _frightening_." Parvati shuddered, remembering the ghost's appearance. Then, she and Lavender let out a scream when they saw something silvery move right in front of them, only to see the twin's smirking faces.

Meanwhile, the other Gryffindors were busy for betting. The Weasley twins who were responsible for recording the bet scribbled on the parchment furiously to keep up.

"Three galleons for Harry finding out why he's covered in blood."

"Two for not knowing it."

"Why do people keep betting that I will find out whatever information that they don't know?" Harry asked to no one in particular while staring at the group strangely.

"'Cause there's a big chance that you will." Ron answered simply as he put two galleons for Harry finding out. "I mean, you managed to find where the Secret Chamber is while no one else could."

"I see your point." Harry agreed, somewhat reluctantly.

* * *

_**[Page 134 - "My great-uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off guard and force some magic out of me..."]**_

Professor McGonagall frowned at that information. "I need to have a word with Augusta. You shouldn't force magic out of a child. He could have been severely injured!"

Susan covered her mouth and looked at Neville fearfully. "That's horrible! You could have died! How could they even _think_ about risking you drowning or breaking your neck? Her gaze snapped to rest of the Gryffindors. "How could you not report this to professor?"

The Gryffindors grimaced. "I don't know why it hadn't occurred to me before. I'm so sorry, Neville." Hermione apologized furiously. Neville seemed flustered and waved aside the apology.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm alive, am I not?" Neville's attempt to calm her backfired and only worried her even more.

"You do realize that you sound like Harry right now?" Ron asked. "Harry always say he's okay and not to worry about him. He would have made a great Hufflepuff."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Uh, yes?"

"Well, then, thanks."

"...You are so weird, Harry."

"Gee, thanks Ron."

* * *

_**[Page 137 - The Gryffindor first-years followed Percy through the chattering crowds...]**_

"Hey, we are gonna hear about how to get to Gryffindor dormitory!"

Gryffindor's exchanged uneasy glances as they noted mischievous looks that appeared on many students as they pulled out their quills and parchments, ready to write. They had pranked them before, and now by the looks of it, it was their turn to get pranked. It was going to be a long year. Fortunately for them, book-Harry didn't describe the exact way to the dormitory because of his fatigue. However, he did explain the entrance: a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.

"Harry, if we get pranked, I'm blaming all on you." The twins accused, pointing a finger at the teen.

"It's not my fault that you two always go around playing pranks on everyone you stumble onto." Harry retorted, smiling in satisfaction when the twins didn't find anything to say back to that.


	10. The Potions Master

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

**Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone**

**The Potions Master**

* * *

_**[Page 140 - The Potions Master]**_

"Why is this chapter named after Snape?" Ron complained out loud, but not loudly enough for the said professor to hear. However, Snape sharply turned his head to glare icily at him, causing the youngest Weasley son to shiver uncomfortably.

"How am I supposed to know? I didn't write this book."

"But it is in your perspective. So everything came out from your head!" Ron pointed out, smirking rather smugly. Harry scowled at him. Really, first his life gets told to everyone in the Wizarding World to hear, and now his friend was criticizing the chapter titles. At times like this, playing pranks on some annoying people - who might have red hair and loads of freckles on his face - sounded really inviting. Perhaps this was why the Weasley twins were pranksters?

* * *

_**[Page 140 - "Wearing the glasses?" "Did you see his face?" "Did you see his scar?"] **_

"Bloody scar." Harry grumbled, rubbing his infamous scar as if he did that, it would be erased. The blond Ravenclaw saw it and cocked her head to the side. "You do realize you could just illusion yourself so it looks like you don't have any scar, right?"

Mouth opened wide, Harry stared at Luna for several seconds. The said girl frowned worriedly and waved her hand in front of the teen's face. He blinked and seconds later, he was hugging Luna tightly grinning madly.

"Oh, my god! That's really brilliant, Luna! Thank you _so_ much! Why didn't I think of it before? I'm so stupid! I should check the library during the next break. Just imagine, _no one_ will realize I am Harry Potter and won't gawk at this stupid scar!"

"I'll help you, Harry. If I remember correctly, I read about this book that contained information about basic illusioning charms. We can work on that first and then we can continue working onto more difficult ones!" Yelled the certain bushy-haired Gryffindor, also bouncing up and down on her seat in barely contained excitement. Soon, the two were off to their own world, chatting happily about how they were going to make this work. Ron merely stared at them, shaking his head disgustedly.

"Library? Seriously? Harry just got Hermione's curse! I just know it!"

"'Hermione's curse'? Really, Ronald?" George shook his head amusedly.

"What? No normal person should read so many books! Except for Ravenclaws, but still!"

"I still can't believe she isn't in Ravenclaw." Terry muttered to himself at this, and all students agreed. The Gryffindor duo were oblivious to what was happening around them, and they continued their rapid conversation. It was so fast that none of the others could follow what they were saying. Luna and Tonks had also joined in, commenting on her metamorphmagus ability (Tonks), and saying some odd but still helpful remarks (Luna). It should have been impossible for them to understand everything the two were saying, but somehow, they managed.

* * *

_**[Page 140 - There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts.]**_

"And how do you know the exact number of staircases?" Ernie raised one of his eyebrow at the teen. Harry blushed slightly, and managed a half-shrug in response. "Don't tell me. You actually counted everything? Were you so bored that you decided to do that?"

"I didn't actually counted everything! I noticed that there were about seven floors and each floor contained about twenty staircases, and if you add two that lead to the dungeons..." Harry trailed off as he saw everyone staring at him. "What?"

"You have so weird hobbies." Ernie shook his head, ignoring indignant shout from the teen-"It's not my hobby!"-and turned his attention back to the book.

"Why does everyone ignore me and give me looks like that?" Harry all but whined, pouting like a little kid.

"You mean this look?"

"Yes, that one! Knock it off, Fred!"

"Oh, you mean this look make you uncomfortable?"

"_George!_"

"Boys! Knock it off, will you!" Katie shouted at them, and the twins immediately wiped the looks off their faces. Harry grinned gratefully at her, and the Gryffindor chaser ruffled his hair fondly. She always had some soft spot for the seeker. He was like a younger brother she never had.

* * *

_**[Page 141 - ...sneak up behind you, invisible, grab your nose and screech, "GOT YOUR CONK!"]**_

Tonks frowned when she saw Remus smirk at that. "What? Why are you smiling like that?"

"Well, let's say that Peeves didn't know those tricks until certain people decided to teach him." Weasley twins' jaws dropped when the realization dawned on them. "The Marauders taught him how to do that? Awesome!"

Not for the first time, Harry wondered what their reactions would be if they ever found out about the Marauders' identity. Probably throwing themselves to the ground in front of Sirius and Remus, kissing their feet repeatedly and praising them. He snickered to himself when he pictured how Sirius and Remus would react to that. Although Sirius might enjoy attention, he wouldn't want _that_ much, and it was highly likely for them to be horrified at the twins' reactions, especially Remus.

* * *

_**[Page 141 - Harry and Ron managed to get on the wrong side of him on their very first day.]**_

"What? What did you do? How did you even get on Filch's bad side on your _first_ _day_?" Hermione gripped Harry's arm, utter terror present on her face. Really, what was wrong with people? All of them acted as if he would drop dead in every opportunity, and he was right _next_ to them, alive and quite healthy, excluding some emotional stress from his numerous near-death experiences. So once again, the emerald eyed teen tried - unsuccessfully - to pry off her fingers to let his blood circulate like it's supposed to do and reminded them, _very slowly_ so he could deliver the message clearly, how he was sitting there with his heart beating regularly.

"Hermione. I'm not dead. Could you _please _let go of me so some blood can flow?" Harry deadpanned, and let out a relieved sigh when the witch immediately let go, sheepish expression on her face. "Right. Well, I hadn't charged head-first into any life-threatening situations and Filch hadn't tried to kill us, if that's what you were worried about." Harry paused for a moment, then added. "At least, he hadn't tried to kill me in Voldemort's way. You know, _really_ trying to kill me. Filch is, well, _Filch_. Its no secret that he loathes every students."

Hermione frowned at that logic, but grudgingly accepted it in the end. "So what actually happened?"

"Well, we were kinda caught trying to get into a door that turned out to be the entrance to the corridor on the third floor?"

"You were trying to do what?" Hermione shrieked, her previous calm posture forgotten. "What were you _thinking_? Why on earth would you want to go to there?"

"Hey, we didn't know _that _was _there_." Ron immediately defended himself. "Besides, if I had known what kind of things were in there, I wouldn't have even _thought _about going _near_ that blasted place!"

"Same here! I mean, why would I even go there?"

"I'm clearly missing something, here." Neville muttered, looking between the bickering trio. "Are you gonna fill us in or what?"

"It will be explained in the book." The three of them chorused at once and they resumed back into their verbal fight.

"You know I'm getting really tired of that reply." Neville remarked dryly, but the trio didn't seemed to hear him.

* * *

_**[Page 142 - The students all hated him and it was the dearest ambition of many to give Mrs. Norris a good kick.]**_

"I know. Mrs. Norris is so annoying!" Dean whined, than suddenly perked up in interest. "Say, have _you_ kicked her?" He fixed the Golden Trio with his intense gaze, and the Gryffindors squirmed a bit, uncomfortable.

"Well, we did have a chance once, but Harry here stopped me." Ron pointed accusingly at the raven haired teen, his voice sullen. Harry immediately squawked in protest. "Hey, we were in a hurry!"

"Unbelievable." Dean breathed out, ignoring Harry's comment. "You actually had a chance, and you didn't? Are you insane? How can you waste such an opportunity?"

"For the last time, I am _not_ insane and _we were in a hurry!_"

* * *

_**[Page 142 - There was a lot more to magic, as Harry quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words.]**_

"Spells aren't just some random words!" Hermione corrected him, and took a deep breath before launching into _very_ long and detailed explanation about the process of how to invent proper spell. Most people tuned her out immediately, but Harry was rather fascinated at the concept of making his own spells. For the second time, the two Gryffindors got caught up into their own world as they chatted endlessly about how they could invent some of their own spells. They didn't notice Ron shaking his head, stating firmly that they were indeed 'cursed', as he put it.

* * *

_**[Page 142 - ...they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout...]**_

"'Dumpy little witch'? Are you implying that Professor Sprout is fat?" All Hufflepuffs turned to stare at the teen who was blushing rather furiously. "Uh, I meant no offense?" He tried, not at all looking comfortable with the attention he was getting.

"You had better not." Susan managed to mare herself sound stern and gave the Gryffindor dark and angry look. However, she dissolved into helpless giggles when Harry let out a frightened squeak. "Aw, did I scare you, Harry?"

The hopelessly confused boy took in the laughing Hufflepuffs until the realization dawned to him. "You _tricked_ me." Susan's smiles widened.

"Who knew the mighty Boy-Who-Lived will get scared of a mere Hufflepuff girl." She teased playfully, and earned a swat aimed for her arm.

"Oh, shut up, Susan. Besides, women are downright _frightening_ when they are angry. Um, no offense."

* * *

_**[Page 143 - "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."]**_

"Well, not everyone will be kicked out of Transfiguration class even after making a mess." Remus grinned up at his former Transfiguration Professor. Ginny looked up at the werewolf, her eyes wide and round in curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"Well, James always caused some kind of trouble at least once in three days. But fortunately, he was quite talented in Transfiguration, so he was forgiven. At the most, he was sent to the Headmaster's office for his troubles, but he lasted through all seven years, not getting kicked out."

* * *

_**[Page 144 - "Wish McGonagall favoured us," said Harry.]**_

"I do not treat some students specially just because they are my favorites, Mr. Potter. I would like to think that I am rather fair." Professor McGonagall told him. Professor Sprout, however, nudged her discreetly and winked at her. "But you do have favorites, don't you, Minerva?" She then eyed the Golden Trio, who were unaware of them talking about them.

"Oh, be quiet, Pomona. It's not like _you_ don't have any favorites." Retorted the cat animagus as she swatted away the Herbology professor's hand.

* * *

_**[Page 145 - By the end of the first Potions lesson, he knew he'd been wrong. Snape didn't dislike Harry - he hated him.]**_

"Excuse me? Did I hear correctly or did my hearing went bad? 'Cause I just heard that _Snape_ doesn't dislike Harry Potter." Fred gasped in mock horror, placing his hand over his heart. George immediately followed his lead. "The world is going to end!" He wailed, utter terror plastered on his face.

"Shut it you two." Harry grumbled, making a face at the twins. "You didn't even hear what I was going to say next."

Snape, on the other hand, was trying his best to ignore furious and disapproving glare from McGonagall and I-am-very-disappointed-in-you-we-will-talk-about-this-later look from Dumbledore. Honestly, why was _he_ of all people expected to treat that brat fairly and nicely anyways? Curse that stupid Boy-Who-Lived-To-Annoy-Him!

**Snape didn't dislike Harry - he _hated_ him.**

"Ah, that makes sense." Fred grinned a bit sheepishly. "Our sincere apologies, Mr. Potter." George said, shaking his hand firmly while trying to make his voice as serious and as business-like as possible.

"Stop that. It doesn't fit you guys. Plus, you sound like those Ministry idiots." Harry made a face, and the twins immediately stopped pretending to be serious. Everyone ignored Fudge and Umbridge's outraged splutters and Percy Weasley's face, which was steadily growing red. Whether it was from anger or embarrassment, no one knew.

* * *

_**[Page 146 - Hermione Granger was on the edge of her seat and looked desperate to start proving that she wasn't a dunderhead.]**_

"Harry!" Hermione let out an angry squeak as her face turned into a bright red. Harry could swear that he could see a steam coming off from her due to the embarrassment. Snickering didn't help either. "I did _not_ look desperate to prove I'm not a dunderhead!

"What? It's true! You were _dying_ to prove yourself smart to him." Harry defended himself only to be targeted by Hermione's angry rant. He wondered how she even said that much without even taking one breath.

"I feel for you, mate." Ron muttered as the bright witch bombarded the teen with scolding. Too late, Harry regretted the way he defended himself. He should have just apologized. That would have saved him from getting yelled at his very embarrassed and red friend.

* * *

_**[Page 146 - "Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"]**_

"That question isn't even a first year material!" Professor McGonagall hissed angrily, looking like her animagus-self. She narrowed her eyes at the Potions Master. "Honestly, Severus, you shouldn't hold a grudge against a dead man to his son! Harry isn't James!"

"You've got to control that temper of yours." Professor McGonagall said while frowning, only to be awarded by a death glare and a sneer from the Potions Master. The Transfiguration professor only rolled her eyes at this. Although she knew how the Marauders humiliated him during his school year - after all, she had been the one who had took the most points and gave tons of detentions to them - he couldn't keep going like this. To her, the whole idea of holding a grudge against a dead man was ridiculous!

"Excuse me? Could you please explain to me what you are talking about?" Umbridge asked sweetly, her clipboard present on her hand, ready to write every flaws she could find. McGonagall turned towards her stiffly, holding her nose high into the air and staring down at her as if she was just an annoying toad that she would love to get rid of. Which in a way, was true.

"Oh, I don't think so, Dolores. It's nothing important to be your concern." She waved her off, ignoring how she flushed into lovely shade of scarlet and started scribbling furiously onto her clipboard.

* * *

_**[Page 148 - "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor house for your cheek, Potter."]**_

"That's so unfair. You can't keep taking points off like that." Ginny scowled, crossing her arms and glared in defiance at the Potions Master. Snape, in return, glared back at her with so much intensity that normal people would have instantly tried to avoid. However, the girl with fiery red hair didn't back down and held her ground. Snape mentally scowled. Idiotic annoying brat! How dare she disrespect him like that?

But when he glanced at the Potter brat, his heart clenched painfully when his eyes locked with emerald eyes. _Lily's_ eyes. Though its colors were slightly dulled because of the glasses, it was same eyes of the only friend he had during his childhood. It was only then when he fully realized how he had completely failed Lily. He had sworn he would protect her child, but he became a tormenter of her son and didn't even notice he was being abused, and he of all people should have been able to recognize the signs. After all, majority of the Slytherins have experienced some form of abuse.

'I am so sorry, Lily. But I promise you, I will really protect him from now on.'

Snape mentally vowed to himself, praying that she would be able to forgive him for his past acts.

* * *

_**[Page 149 - He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound.]**_

"Fang may be big, but he's a complete coward." Hagrid, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and surprisingly, Draco remarked.

"Unless yeh attack him first, he wouldn' harm a fly. Even if you do threaten him, he won't really hurt yeh." Hagrid explained, anxious to not let anyone have any misunderstanding about his beloved pet.

"Uh, I know how Hagrid might know that. But how do you," Cho pointed at Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Draco, "know that he's a coward?"

"The book will explain." Harry replied, while Draco muttered that sounded like, 'Forbidden Forest, first year', and Ron said something about, 'big, hairy, disgusting, man-eating spiders'. To say people were worried about heart failure was an understatement.

* * *

_**[Page 151 - "Hagrid!" said Harry. "That Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!"]**_

People who hadn't known this particular information turned to their neighbors who gladly filled them in. Noticing how everyone were whispering excitedly about how Gringotts might have been robbed, Harry idly wondered how they would react to the truth. After all, they hadn't even considered the probability of him telling the truth about Cedric's death, so what were the chances of them not saying the whole book was made of entire lies and just ignored everything they read so far?

"Wait a minute. Hey, the robbing happened on Harry's birthday!"

People gasped as they realized the same thing. The whispers increased as they tried figuring out what had really happened. Professors, on the other hand, knew everything that had happened, and they merely raised their eyebrows at this. So that was how the three Gryffindors got themselves involved in that incident.

"Did you found out the truth about that event, Harry?" Asked the very excited Gryffindor. Even Slytherins seemed to be interested in hearing the answer, though they pretended to be otherwise. Harry sighed as all eyes were trained on him, and replied rather sullenly.

"Yes, I did. But I won't explain it now since the book will explain it."

"That's the end of the chapter." Luna called out. "What an interesting way to finish the chapter, Harry. It makes me to read the next one as fast as I can."

"Well, I didn't actually write that-" The rest of the sentence got lost in his mouth as a bright light filled the Great Hall once again. Everyone had their wands ready, but this time, they were a bit more calm. Two thumps could be heard, and when the light disappeared, everyone's jaws dropped open. No one could believe what they were seeing and Ron summarized the whole thing in two words.

"Bloody hell."


	11. Surprise

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

**Surprise**

* * *

Time seemed to freeze as Harry stared at a man and a woman in front of him. All he could hear was the pounding of his blood. He was vaguely aware of the others staring open-mouthed at the sight before them, not that he blamed them of course. He was having hard time believing it as well. Although his logical mind was telling him that this situation was impossible, his heart longed for it to be true. Just when the silence got unbearable, the man with messy hair stirred.

"Ugh, my head hurts." The man whined while rubbing his head tenderly. He blinked blearily as he tried to get his bearings. When his gaze took in the crowd staring at him, he blinked in shock and shook the shoulder of the red haired woman who groaned as response. "Hey, come in Lily. People are staring at us and it's getting really creepy."

"Huh? What do you mean, James? What people-" With one look at the hundred pairs of of eyes that were trained on her, her mouth formed a perfect 'O'. "Oh. I get what you mean." Then, her eyes immediately narrowed as she turned to glare at the man. "James, if this is one of your silly jokes I swear I will make you pay."

"Oh, come on, Lils. You know I wouldn't joke around with this kind of stuff." He retorted, all the while never leaving his gaze off Harry's face. If he was any other person, he would have started feeling uncomfortable. But he was his father, so Harry hungrily took in all the details of his face. He was so identical to him. He could see why everyone told him he looked like his father except for his eyes, which were same as the woman's eyes. His mother's eyes.

"Harry?" It was Lily who hesitantly called out, breaking the silence between them. She took a timid step towards her son, reaching out and as if he was in trance, Harry stood up as well. The next thing they knew, they were hugging each other, Lily sobbing in happiness and James squeezing the life out of them. He also pulled Remus and Sirius as well since he knew his dog form, and as they stayed like that with no one willing to break the silence, awkwardness started settling down on them. Finally noticing the stares, James Potter waved a little with slightly forced smile on his face. "Uh, hello, everyone?" He sounded so uncertain of himself, but that simple sentence was enough to start a flood of questions.

"_James Potter_?"

"But you are _dead_!"

"Oh my god. Is that _Lily_ _Potter_?"

"Are you a Death Eater?"

The last one was from Moody, of course, as he squinted suspiciously at them with his wand present on his hand. He growled threateningly that would have made most people wet themselves, but James only grinned amusedly. "Ah, paranoid aren't we, Mad-Eye?"

"Answer me." Moody snapped, but despite his growls, James only grinned wider. Apparently the shock wore out by now and he regained his snark and humor. "You want proof that I am not some old Voldy's trick or hallucination? Well, how about this? When we met for the first time, I made a mistake of coming over to you from your back, and you thought I was a Death Eater. You almost burned my entire hair with fire, if I remember correctly. But my dearest Lily-flower thought it was funny, which it wasn't."

James turned to scowl accusingly at his wife, who immediately defended herself. "What? It was funny! Besides, you deserved it anyways. At least that incident managed to squish your big ego." She blinked innocently as James mock-glared at her. "Honestly," he sniffed. "My ego isn't that big."

"Yes, it is." Lily and several others retorted instantly, and James pouted at this. People still seemed unsure whether this was happening for real, and the aurors and professors held out their wands as they looked at each other uncertainly. Moody still seemed suspicious, and his normally whirling magical eye was fixed squarely on the two people. "How did you get here then? You were murdered on that Halloween, and even if you weren't, what did you do for the last fifteen years?" He barked out questions, and people strained to hear the answer. All of them were wondering about that.

"Well, we were killed." Lily admitted. "So we were at the heaven, I guess. It was very pleasant place. Really enjoyable, and we got to be reunited with our families and friends. Oh, and Molly, your brothers says hello. They said they were really proud of you, but stop mollycoddling your kids." Mrs. Weasley teared up at the mention of her brothers, and Mr. Weasley patted her back to calm her down.

"It would have been a peaceful place if it wasn't for _someone_ playing pranks all the time." She glared at her husband who held up his arms in surrender. "Hey, if it wasn't for me, it would have been so boring! Everyday we just get up, eat, talk and sleep! I just put in some fun into our life." Professors of Hogwarts rolled their eyes at the typical James Potter response. It was clear that fifteen years of being dead didn't change the man.

"Anyways, for how we got here, I honestly have no idea. Not that I'm complaining." She quickly added as she sent a hesitant smile towards her son. Harry weakly smiled back. Her mother was so beautiful... It was no wonder his dad - oh, god, the word sounded so foreign to him - had so big crush on her.

Just then, a note appeared and fell to Dumbledore's hands. The Headmaster arced his eyebrow at this, and as he read the note, his eyebrow went up until it disappeared under the hairline.

"Well? What does it say?" Finally regaining her wits to talk, Umbridge impatiently prodded him for information. Dumbledore coughed a little before speaking up. "The note says, 'I hope you all are enjoying the reading time. I know it is really big shock for you, but they are important figures in the stories, so they are going to read with you. Besides, it will be much more amusing with them. P.S. You're welcome, Harry.' I guess you two are staying with us then." He chuckled amiably and his eyes twinkled brightly.

It took long time for Harry to process what he had just heard. His parents were alive again, and that's all that mattered to him. Oh, gods, his parents were alive! _Please don't let this be a dream. Please, please, please, please, let it be real!_ Harry chanted the same mantra over and over in his mind, crossing his fingers and praying with all his might. He wasn't the only one. Sirius, Remus, Snape (though he was only praying for Lily. James Potter could rot in hell for all he cared) and other people were wishing the same thing as well.

"Wait a minute, what reading? What are you talking about?" James made a time out gesture with his hands, looking baffled. "Well? Are you going to tell us or what?"

"Lots of things happened after you died, Mr. Potter." Umbridge, in an effort to gain control of the situation, spoke up first in her sickly sweet voice. Apparently, like everyone else, James wasn't fond of toads in pink, either. He wrinkled his nose in barely contained disdain and seemed reluctant to let her talk. Umbridge didn't notice any of this, and continued talking. Naturally, her story was told in Ministry's point of view, meaning she would talk about how wonderful and hardworking the Ministry was.

"After you died the Ministry captured Sirius Black and put him in Azkaban for his crimes-"

"You did what?" Lily shrieked in horror, and James looked horrified as well. "Why would you even do that?" Umbridge pursed her lips in annoyance, but forced a smile on her face. After all, it wouldn't do good to put the Head of the Potter Family against her. "Although you may not remember correctly, Mrs. Potter, but Sirius Black was the secret keeper. He had betrayed you and that's how You-Know-Who got into your house."

James blinked as he tried to digest what he heard and he burst into laughter. "Seriously? That's what everyone think happened? Gods, you really are hopeless. If you had just bothered to read our will, you would have had a proof that our secret keeper was in fact, Peter Pettigrew." He shook his head disappointedly. "Really, I expected better of you. It's a wonder magical Britain is still standing with a Ministry like you."

Umbridge and Fudge's face turned red in anger, and the Minister bellowed. "How dare you! Being dead must have effected your memories because Peter Pettigrew cannot be the secret keeper! Even if he was, Sirius Black still broke the law by murdering Peter and muggles!"

"Excuse me? Sirius did what?" Lily gasped in shock, and the Minister smirked triumphantly. "Peter Pettigrew went to catch Sirius Black by himself and Black murdered him along with several unfortunate muggles." His smirk faltered faltered when he saw Harry whispering something to them and James facepalming.

"For your information, Minister, Sirius did not kill those muggles and Pettigrew." Everyone except for few who knew the truth blinked in surprise at the amount of hatred he inserted as he said his childhood's friend's name. They were like brothers during their stay at Hogwarts, so did Peter really betray the Potters to make James hate him so much? "I believe Sirius went to catch Pettigrew in his anger - curse that idiot's short temper and recklessness - and Pettigrew managed to frame him."

"But, but we found Peter Pettigrew's finger!" The Minister protested feebly, but he already had a feeling that he'll lose this argument. That didn't stop him from trying, though. "How do you explain that?"

"Was there a sewer nearby?" It was Lily who spoke up this time, and Umbridge scoffed at the ridiculousness of the question. "What kind of question is that?" She was so furious that she didn't even care how rude she sounded right now.

"Just answer it." James snapped, making her scowl. "Yes, there was a sewer. "

"Well, that explains it." Lily secretly glared at the black grim that was sitting next to her son. Sirius gulped audibly. She was going to kill him for leaving Harry behind. He just knew it. "Peter Pettigrew is an illegal animagus."

"He is a what?" Everyone yelled in shock and James rolled his eyes at that. "Yeah, surprise and all that. Sirius, Pettigrew and I managed to find a way to become an animagus for our dearest Remmy's furry little problem." James paused to wink at his friend. "Anyways, the traitor's form is a rat. He probably shot a curse, cut off his finger and escaped through the sewer by turning into a rat. So you got the wrong person."

"But, but, I, Black," the Minister continued to splutter, trying to find a word to defend himself. "Black is supposed to be-" He immediately stopped himself when Lily gave him a glare. "I, I will arrange a trial for Sirius Black." He said reluctantly, praying that somehow Black was the murderer so his public image won't be ruined. "But we don't know where Black currently is. We know he's hiding somewhere around Albenia..." He trailed off when James snorted in amusement.

"You know what? I'll find him in the next five minutes, and you are going to question him here _fairly_. Deal?" James bargained and the Minister nodded. After all, the Ministry had searched for him for years with no success. So how could a man single handedly find Black in so short amount of time?

"Right then. Come on, Padfoot, let's go find that idiot." James called out cheerfully. "He was Sirius' dog so he'll find him easily." He explained when Umbridge opened her mouth to object. He raised an eyebrow the Weasley twins who fell out of their chairs in shock at hearing one of their idol's name, and the messy haired man and the rather reluctant dog went out of the Great Hall.

"I guess it's time for lunch then." Dumbledore chuckled merrily and gestured for the people to go ahead and eat.

* * *

"Alright, Sirius. Turn back. Now." James ordered in a tone that left no room for arguments. Mentally bracing himself for the yelling he would surely receive, the Sirius turned into human. "Uh, please don't kill me?"

"SIRIUS BLACK! JUST WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? GOING AFTER PETTIGREW WHEN HARRY, YOUR OWN GODSON, NEEDED YOUR HELP?" Only pausing enough to put up a privacy ward, James started yelling at the other man. "IDIOT! I TOLD YOU YOUR RECKLESSNESS WILL PUT YOU INTO TROUBLE DIDN'T I? AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED NOW! YOU WERE IN AZKABAN AND HARRY WAS-" James stopped short, frowning as he did. "Wait, who did Harry live with anyways?"

"Uh, with the Dursleys?" Sirius didn't even care he squeaked a little at the end. He was busy observing the overprotective father in front of him. Sure enough, James Potter exploded just as Sirius knew he would. He couldn't really blame him, though. After all, he was trying to kill the Dursleys when he found out. He really wished he had brought a Calming Draught with him. Speaking of which, he would need to be prepared when James finds out about how the Dursleys treated Harry. Though he would absolutely love to join his friend in torturing the Dursleys, he couldn't let James get arrested, could he?

"HARRY WAS LIVING WITH THE _DURSLEYS_?" If James was angry before, he was absolutely livid now. Sirius frantically pulled back his friend to stop him from storming into the Great Hall and cursing Dumbledore for allowing Harry to stay with them. Or he could have saw the Dursleys sitting there so he might be trying to go there to kill them.

"Bloody hell, James! Calm down!"

"Calm down?_ Calm down?_ You are telling me to calm down when Harry was sent to the Dursleys? Merlin, Sirius, don't you remember what they did at our wedding? Lily cried for a _week_ after that! They are absolutely disgusting and rude and hell if I let _them_ care for my son." Furious, James whipped out his wand and struggled to get out of his friend's grip. "Let me go, Sirius! I'm gonna teach them a lesson."

"Oi, James, if you do that you will be arrested and sent to Azkaban. You don't want that when Harry needs you, right?" Sirius tried to make his friend see some logic as calmly as he could. He breathed out a sigh of relief when the other man's struggle decreased. "Okay, now, since we are all calm now, I'll tell you something you will love. The Dursleys are here so although we can't harm them," he sent a pointed look at here. "What we can do is prank them. You'll like that won't you?"

A devilish grin slowly spread across James Potter's face, his inner Marauder ready for action. "Of course. Just imagine all kinds of fun we'll have with them." James all but purred, and Sirius almost felt sorry for the Dursleys. Almost.

"Alright then. Let's get you out of the jail." James, back to his usual cheerful-self, exclaimed, and dragged the other man with him.

* * *

In the Great Hall, people started whispering to each other all the while glancing occasionally at Lily who stood there looking uncomfortable.

"Bloody hell, dead people coming back to living? That's so weird." Seamus muttered, shooting a glance towards the red haired woman. "What's next? Cedric Diggory coming back?" Just as he finished speaking, a note popped up on his head.

"Hey! What the-" He got off by by the note as it smacked him on the face - if that was even possible - forcing him to to grab it and read the contents.

_If that's what you want. Challenge accepted._

Seamus blinked blankly at the note, wondering whether this mysterious sender of notes really meant this or he/she was just pulling his legs.

"So..." Lily said, smiling hesitantly at people who turned to stare at her. Harry idly realized that they were getting the same treatment as him. Oh, well. At least they'll know how he feels when people gawk at him like he's an animal in the zoo. "Anything else happened while we were, uh, dead?"

"Um, Harry was sent to his relatives." Remus answered, barely suppressing a growl as he thought of the Dursleys. Lily stiffened, then...

"WHAT?"

She screeched so loudly that people near her had to cover their ears to protect them. She didn't seem to notice any of that, though.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HIS RELATIVES? ALBUS DUMBLEDORE, YOU BETTER NOT HAVE PUT HIM WITH PETUNIA AND HER HUSBAND. YOU KNOW SHE HATES EVERYTHING RELATED TO MAGIC! I SPECIFICALLY STATED THAT IN NO CIRCUMSTANCES WAS HARRY TO BE PLACED WITH THEM!"

It was as if she had used a Sonorus spell to increase the volume of her voice. Even with their hands over their ears, their ears felt like it was being torn into pieces.

"But the blood wards-" Dumbledore tried to explain, only to be cut off by furious and overprotective mother.

"BLOOD WARDS MY ARSE, DUMBLEDORE! SO WHAT IF HE'S SAFE FROM OUTSIDE FORCE? HAVE YOU EVEN CONSIDERED HOW MAGIC-HATERS WILL TREAT MY SON? HOW DARE YOU! DID YOU EVEN _CHECK_ IF HARRY WAS BEING MISTREATED? WELL? NO, YOU DIDN'T! HOW JUST DARE YOU PUT HIM WITH THEM? YOU COULD HAVE PUT HIM WITH ANYONE AND THAT'S WHAT YOU CHOSE? ANYONE WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER THAN THEM!" When she noticed her sister and her family cowering at the Head Table, they started being targeted by her fiery temper. Dumbledore couldn't help but sigh in relief at this.

"PERUNIA! YOU BETTER NOT HAVE MISTREATED MY SON, OR I WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD!" Petunia paled at hearing this. After all, she knew how violent overprotective mother could be. Add the infamous Evans temper and no one will survive the wrath of Lily Evans. She started trembling slightly when her imagination supplied her with what her sister might do to her family. Their neighbors will definitely notice something different then. She almost sobbed when she realized that they'll never be recognized as normal, hard-working, decent folks but as abnormal and freakish. Apparently, her husband reached that conclusion as well if his paling face was anything to go by.

Just when Lily paused for a breath, James, accompanied by Sirius barged in. When they noticed cowering Dursleys, students clutching their ears and a very furious Lily Potter in the middle of the chaos, they immediately dropped dead on their track.

"Did I miss something?" James asked carefully, looking around in confusion. Sirius looked at his godson for any explanation and Harry gestured at his mother and the Dursleys with a 'what-do-you-think' look. Sirius blinked blinked once, and nodded in understanding. In return, he indicated that it happened with James as well. "Well?" James, who didn't notice any of this, re-asked impatiently.

"Sirius Black!" Umbridge shrieked, pointing at the man. "Arrest him!"

"I think our bargain was to give him a trial, not just putting him in Azkaban." James snapped, his patience running thin. Sirius was afraid that he might lose it when he saw the Dursleys, but to his great relief, he only clenched his jaw and moved on. "Hmm? Lily?"

"It's nothing. I just...lost my temper a bit there." She said, inhaling deeply to calm herself. It didn't have big effects though. James understood, and he patted his wife's back sympathetically. "Yeah, I know. I also did that only minutes ago actually. Gave Sirius a hard time." He flashed the dog-animagus a sheepish grin. "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to talk to your lovely sister and her family. Yes?"

Thanks to her years of experience with the Marauders, Lily got the implication behind his words. In fact, everyone in the Hall did. "Right, and I'm sure we'll have an absolutely wonderful talk with them." Lily replied, her eyes flashing.

"That's my wife!" James said cheerfully. The rapidly paling Dursleys gulped in fear. They were so going to have a long day. James turned to the Minister and Umbridge, his eyebrow raised. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get the Veritaselum already!"

"I will not tolerate you speaking to me in that tone!"

"Guess what? I don't care so deal with it!"

Hermione blinked as she watched Harry's father arguing with the Ministry. Well, at least now she knew where Harry got his recklessness and stubbornness. Perhaps she could ask Harry's mother for advice? After all, she lived with him so she might have some tips for how to stop Harry from diving head first into dangers and troubles. She really could use some time by herself without worrying whether Harry - who was like a brother to her - was in trouble or not.

Muttering darkly, Umbridge and Fudge scowled at the dark haired man, who glared back in return. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled merrily as usual as if he was watching a happy family interacting with each other instead of enemies at each others throats. "Now, now, there's no need for any violence. Severus, my boy, would you get the serum, please?"

James, who was glaring in defiance at the Minister, did a double take at this. "Wait, Snape is here?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." The Potions Master sneered down at him, and the two infamous enemies glared at each other, Ministry long-forgotten. James opened his mouth to say something which is probably an insult of sort, but couldn't because of Lily smacking his head.

"James Potter, stop being rude and be nice!"

"But he's the Slythe-"

"Finish that sentence and I'll hit you again." Lily threatened, effectively shutting the man up. "Honestly, James, just because he or she is a Slytherin doesn't mean they're evil. A bit dark, maybe, but not evil."

Slytherins blinked in surprise at hearing the Gryffindor defend them, the snakes. Daphne didn't know what to feel when her sister looked at the woman in awe and admiration. Technically, they shouldn't be feeling that kind of emotion towards a Gryffindor of all people, but truth to be told, she was feeling the same thing. There were hardly anyone who didn't hate the Slytherin, let alone side with them. She was pretty sure all of her fellow housemates were at least shocked by the woman if their opened mouths were anything to go by. She would also bet that at least dozens of them won't treat her as hostile as others. Hmm, perhaps the Potter boy could learn that from his mother. Despite what people might say, not all Slytherins enjoyed tormenting the other Houses. The Greengrass sisters didn't like the school rivalry, either, so it wasn't a surprise that they were wishing some truce would be formed between the Houses.

"Alright, alright." James scowled, rubbed his sore head. "Geez, woman. You didn't have to hit that hard, you know." That earned him another smack. This one much harder than the previous one. Sirius winced behind his friend. He knew how painful it could be from his experience.

Snape raised his eyebrow at this, but from the smirk on his face, it was clear that he was enjoying it. With a lazy flick of his wand, he summoned Veritaserum and handed it to the Headmaster. "Well, let's get started." Dumbledore said cheerfully.

So the trial started, or at least what looked like it. Instead of solemn judges, crowd of excited students sat, whispering to each other and watching the entire scene unfolding front of them. Instead of the the frightened criminal chained to a chair, carefree Sirius sat on a comfy chair which was transfigured by Lily. Sirius was even chatting happily with his friends, James, Lily and Remus. It made Umbridge and Fudge's blood boil, which probably was what Sirius intended to do.

"Silence!" Umbridge screeched. "The trial of Sirius Black will start now. Inject the Veritaserum."

After sending a reassuring smile to Harry - he definitely looked like he needed it - Sirius gulped down the potion in one go. His eyes turned glassy and his form slumped as the effects of potion settled in.

"What is your name?"

"Sirius Orion Black."

"Your birth date?"

"November 15th, 1959."

"Oh, just get to the point already!" James yelled impatiently, earning a scowl which went ignored.

"Were you the secret keeper of the Potters?"

"No."

"What?" Umbridge shrieked, looking bewildered.

"I said no, I was not the secret keeper of the Potters."

"Perhaps your question was too vague, dear. Be more specific." Fudge said, but he was starting to sweat, so people knew he didn't believe that. But that didn't stop him from wishing desperately for any excuse other than that he sent an innocent man to Azkaban. If that happened, 99.99 percent he'll lose his job.

"No, that was pretty specific." James deadpanned and even under the effect of Veritaserum, Sirius managed to let out a snort of amusement. Umbridge ignored this and tried again.

"Did you in any way assist You-Know-Who?"

"Yes." Umbridge and Fudge's faces lit up in delight, but it dimmed as Sirius continued to talk. "James and Lily actually wanted me to be their secret keeper, but I told them to choose the rat. It was supposed to be the perfect trick. Who would expect a coward like him to be the secret keeper? But Pettigrew betrayed us, leading to the deaths of the Potters. So yes, I am partly guilty for their deaths."

"Oh, please, Sirius. It wasn't your fault." Lily rolled her eyes. "Honestly, why is it that Gryffindors love to take the blame that's not even theirs?" _Tell me about it._ Thought Harry's friends, eyeing the said boy. He caught them staring, and he frowned. "What?"

"Nothing." They chorused.

"You didn't help the Dark Lord? Nothing?"

"No."

Now Umbridge and Fudge were panicking, looking extremely nervous. They could just imagine the scandal they were going to be bombarded with. Thank goodness Rita Skeeter wasn't here. She'll manage to make this situation even worse. Thinking the same thing, Hermione thought for a minute and a smirk slowly appeared on her face.

"Harry, Ron. Do you boys want to join me on a meeting?"

"What meeting? What are you talking about?"

"Meeting with Rita Skeeter." Hermione replied calmly, and they looked at her . "Who are you and what have you done to our Hermione?" Harry said in suspicious tone, but because he had a grin on his face, she knew he was joking.

"Blimey, Hermione are you serious? I never thought I would live to see her cause trouble to the Minister like this! Whatever you do, I'm in. I'll follow your lead so just tell me what I need to do." Ron exclaimed happily, eager to put whatever plan she had on her mind into action.

"Well, that's settled, isn't it? Or do you have other things to ask?" They meekly shook their heads in negative and James jumped to his feet, eager to return to his friend. Using the potion that Snape handed (James got suspicious that he had put poison in the potion and only when Lily hit him on the head did he use it), Sirius was back in action, grinning widely. It made him look a lot younger.

"_Freeeeeeeeee_!" Sirius crowed, doing his own version of victory dance. Without warning he squeezed the life out of the Potters and Harry suddenly found himself up on the air.

"Sirius!" Harry squeaked, his face as red as tomato. "Let go!"

Sirius continued swinging him up in the air, his grin threatening to split his face. "I'm _free_! Finally, I'll won't be stuck in that stupid house! Oh, and I'll get my wand back! Can you believe that? My wand! This is the best day of my _entire_ life!"

"Alright, that's enough, Sirius." Remus called out amusedly, successfully cutting off the other man's cheerful rambling. Finally regaining his senses, the animagus put down highly irritated and blushing Harry with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, pup. But hey, can you blame me? I'm free! As in actually free, like I can walk around and no one will arrest me for something I didn't do. _Free_!"

"Yeah, I heard you the first time you said that." Harry rolled his eyes but couldn't stop his own grin from appearing on his face. "Honestly, Sirius, stop acting so childish."

"Me? Childish? Never!" Sirius declared, pointedly ignoring the amused looks people gave him. "It's so nice to be free." He sighed dreamily with a glazed look on his face. At the moment, he looked like Luna when she was talking about one of her favorite creatures.

"Really, Sirius, I'm hurt. It feels like you're only glad to see me because I got you free." James placed his hand over his chest, a hurtful look on his face. He strategically widened his eyes and tilted his head just a bit, resembling every bit like a kicked puppy. "Aren't you glad to see me? Hmm?"

That caused the dog-animagus to jump up and do a happy dance with his best friend. Poor Remus was also forced to do it, looking sullen but amused as well. Fortunately, Harry avoided the same fate by instantly running away and hiding behind his friends. This would have continued if it wasn't for a certain irritated toad-like witch(a.k.a. Umbridge), who stood up and shrieked at them to sit down. Of course the joyful Marauders ignored her, and as much as the sight was amusing, Professor McGonagall silenced them down with a glare. However, James and Sirius were delighted to note that the corner of her lip was twitching slightly, alerting them that she was on verge of bursting into smiles.

"Well, now since everyone have calmed down," Umbridge sent a vicious glare towards certain men in the Hall, who cheekily smiled back. "It's time to read the book."


	12. The Midnight Duel

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

**Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone**

**The Midnight Duel**

* * *

Harry was trying his best not to gawk at his parents. He knew very well how uncomfortable those stares could be so he did not want want to do that. But it was so difficult because it was his dead parents who aren't dead and they were smiling at him and they were sitting next to him and oh god his mother just patted him and-

_Merlin, Potter, get hold of yourself!_

A voice that sounded suspiciously similar to Snape snapped, and Harry forced himself to take a deep breath. _Deep breath in. Deep breath out. __See, it isn't so hard. It's just your parents. No need to freak out. Just act normal. Everything's going to be fine. Act casual. Nothing's wrong-_

"Are you alright, Harry?"

All of his calm posture flew out of the window when Lily looked at him in the eye, concern evident on her beautiful face. _So unlike Aunt Petunia's. _Part of his mind mused absentmindedly, while the rest completely froze. _Useless brain! Why couldn't he think of anything to say? Argh!_

"Uh, I'm fine?" Harry mentally cringed at how uncertain and lame he sounded. But dead people suddenly coming back to life wasn't an everyday occurrence and it was really mind blowing. Especially when that dead people were his parents. It wasn't like he could just forget the fourteen years thay he lived without them and act they were with him the whole time. There were just too many things happened during that time and he didn't know how to act. Sure, he always wished for second chance with his parents but he wasn't really thinking about his parents popping up in the middle of reading his life to the entire Wizarding World!

Unknown to him, his parents were thinking the exactly same thing. Lily frowned slightly at how her son was thinner than average teenagers and couldn't help but feel suspicious of her sister's family. It hurt to even think about her own sister abusing her son but she knew how deep her hatred was towards anything related to magic. _I guess I'll fond out how deep her resentment is. _Lily thought, sighing sadly.

James was less composed than Lily. He fiddled with the front of his shirt, glancing every now and then at Harry, only to immediately look elsewhere. Harry felt self-conscious because of that and tried not to let his discomfort show. The last thing he needed was making his father think he didn't like him. Finally, Sirius had enough with the tension that spread over them and decided to break the ice.

"Alright. James, you've got to stop looking at Harry like that. It's even making me feel creepy. And Lily, don't look at Harry like he'll drop dead any moment. I know he's kinda thin thanks to _someone,_" he glared viciously at the Dursleys "But you can feed him later, and I'm sure there are a lot of people who would be more than happy to assist you in that case." Harry gulped at the looks that appeared on his friends' faces. Oh, great. His overprotective parents and friends are going to join forces. He just knew from now on, he would get locked up in the Hospital Wing even for a bloody paper cut. Oh, joy.

Fortunately, Lily took pity of him and gently ruffled his hair. The gesture made him scrunch his nose but couldn't help but lean into her. It felt so nice, knowing he had his parents to count on. He could spend time with them now like every other kids and he could even get away from the Dursleys! He could already picture himself in a comfy house with his parents, Remus and Sirius, Weasleys and his friends surrounding him. _Don't get your hopes up. There's a chance that the Ministry or Dumbledore would try to stop you from leaving the Dursleys. Ministry is an idiot and Dumbledore is Dumbledore. Who knows what the old man has in his mind? His parents coming alive could not be permanent and-_

Just then, Lily rubbed soothing circles on his back, enjoying her son's company. _Oh, screw it all. I am going to live with my parents and that's final._ Harry declared in his mind, subconsciously leaning into his mother's embrace. Lily's eyes sparkled with delight as she felt her son relax his tense muscle. She hummed as she ran her hand through Harry's messy locks. James grinned as well as he saw them and clutched his son's hand for the first time in fourteen years. At first, he was half-worried he would shake him off but Harry only held it tighter as if he'll never let go of it. Others looked fondly at the united family who were oblivious of the world around them.

* * *

_**[Page 153 - Flying lesson would be starting on Thursday - and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning together.]**_

"Yes! We get to listen to Harry's first Flying lessons!" Oliver cheered, whooping loudly. "Just you wait, my seeker is going to blow your minds. I just know it!"

"Oliver, technically he's no longer 'your seeker'." Angelina deadpanned, but couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face. Well, Oliver's enthusiasm was certainly addicting and after all, Harry was really good at Quidditch. Who knows what kind of stunts he pulled in his first lesson? She knew as a fact it wasn't going to be normal since right after that lesson Harry got the seeker place.

"Whoa, wait a minute. What do you mean Harry's your seeker?" James looked around in confusion. Sirius let out a bark of laughter, clapping his shoulder. "Harry's the Gryffindor seeker! The youngest house player in century, in fact."

"That's brilliant!" James literally radiated delight, bouncing up and down in his seat. "I bet he's the best flyer in the world! Oh, I can't wait to see him fly and play Quidditch together! Hey, we can make our own team! Us, the Potter family, Sirius, Remus-"

"Nope. I'll pass."

"Fine, then. Not Remus and the Weasleys! You do know how to play, right?"

"Charlie was the Quidditch Captain, Fred and George are beaters and Ron and Ginny are pretty good as well."

"Great! Perfect! Fantastic! Absolutely wonderful!"

Lily had to literally wrestle her hyper-energetic husband into his seat so he wouldn't literally bounce around the hall, accidentally knocking himself out or injuring himself or the others. It wasn't only him who was excited. Sirius and Charlie also looked eager to get back on their brooms and the other Weasleys were grinning in anticipation. Harry reacted like his father, acting like they ate too much sugar at once but thankfully he was much more composed than James.

"Hey, how about a contest on who's the best flyer? James Potter or Harry Potter?" Sirius called out, grinning as people immediately began to bet - well, people who believed he was innocent and not a murderer.

"One galleon on Harry!"

"Two for Harry Potter!"

"Same here!"

"Hey, not fair. Why does everyone bet on Harry and not me?" James pouted sullenly and Lily patted his arm sympathetically. "Well, they didn't see you on a broom before. We were dead before this whole incident. There's also the fact that this is Hogwarts where students most likely saw Harry's flying skills a lot. But don't get discouraged, hon. You can do this."

"Of course I can. I'm James Potter." He proudly puffed up his chest, good mood instantly returning.

"He can't really do it." Lily whispered to her son, smothering her giggles. "I didn't actually see you flying before but seeing how Sirius and Remus are betting on you - and you should never bet against Sirius - I'm sure you'll beat your father. Besides, I have a feeling you are a great flyer and my hunches are almost never wrong."

"Thanks." Harry grinned, relishing every moment with his family.

* * *

_**[Page 159 - He leant forward and pointed his broom handle down...and he topples gently on to the grass with the Remembrall clutched safely in his fist.]**_

James whooped as he cheered loudly with the Quidditch fans. "That's my son! He's got great talent. He's absolutely natural at this!"

Lily, on the other hand, wasn't so enthusiastic as she was busy convincing her heart to keep working and not stop. Harry, noticing her panic, hurriedly fetched a Calming Draught for her to drink, which she did in one gulp. After her heart rate slowed down at more manageable speed, she managed to gasp out, "_Oh my gods!_"

"Come on, Lily. You've got to admit, Harry's absolutely amazing!" James grinned, pumping his fist in air as Harry successfully caught Neville's Remembrall. The raven-haired teen blushed at the compliment, ducking to hide his face from view. "I mean, I see now why people are betting on him. He's brilliant!"

"_Brilliant_? He could have broke his neck! He didn't have any professors near him to heal him properly and he didn't listen to his professor's order and he, he," She broke off, panic fully-rising. "He could have died!"

"Agreed." Remus said weakly, emptying his own vial of potion. "But I have to warn you, Lily. I didn't watch him play much and the only time I did, he fell out of his broom because of the dementors. I know, absolutely dangerous, but I'm willing to bet that wasn't the most life-threatening situation he encountered. So, as much as I don't like it, you have to get used to it."

Lily, who had turned deathly pale as she heard him talk, whirled around to face her son. She dragged him right next to her, firmly hugging him as close to her as possible with her arm. "You are not to get out of my sight and if you really have to, you need to have at least two people that I trust who are capable of defending and curing you. Am I understood? Good."

"But-" Harry started to object only to be cut off by Ron. He shook his head, completely understanding him. "I know mate, but just don't. I know a lot about over-protective mother and one of the things you shouldn't do is protesting. They'll only get even more paranoid and won't let you out of their sights for even one second. Trust me on this, alright?"

"Fine." Harry grumbled but despite how he sounded, he felt over-joyed that his mother was worried about his well-being and took actions to prevent him getting hurt. But he still thought she was being too extreme.

* * *

_**[Page 161 - "Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood - I've found you a Seeker.]**_

"So that's how you became a Seeker?"

"Yeah. It was all thanks to Malfoy." Harry shrugged, grinning. He smirked cheekily at Draco who was fuming silently. Astoria was quietly giggling behind her hand, amused that when Draco was trying to expel Harry, he only managed to give him the Seeker spot even though he was too young to play. Blaise and Theodore also looked amused at their friend's misfortune though they were more skilled at hiding it.

"Well, you've tried your best. That's what it matters, yes?"

"Besides, you didn't even get detention for that. That should count as something."

"Shut it you two." Draco grumbled darkly and this time the two Slytherins couldn't hold back all of their chuckles of amusement. He half-heartedly sent stinging hexes at their directions which were deflected with ease. "I hate you."

"We love you, too." Blaise and Theodore chorused, dodging another set of hex from the grumpy Slytherin.

* * *

_**[Page 164 - "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel."..."Of course he has," said Ron, wheeling round. "I'm his second, who's yours?"]**_

"Ronald! You shouldn't have accepted his challenge. That was not Gryffindor thing to do, it was just plain foolish!" Mrs. Weasley lectured, frowning in disapprovement. "I just know you'll get yourselves into trouble because of this. I'm very disappointed in you, Ronald."

"Sorry, mum." Ron mutter, hanging his head in shame. "But at least I learned the lesson. I'll never accept a challenge ever again. Well, unless it's absolutely essential, but still."

"Yeah, we know by heart that we should never go to a Wizard's Duel. It's so dangerous." Harry grimaced at the memory along with Ron, Hermione and Neville. Draco cocked his brow at this. He always thought they never went to the trophy room or managed to avoid getting caught by Filch. He never had thought Granger and Longbottom accompanied them and by their reaction, he was guessing something unpleasant happened. Lily reached the same conclusion at the same time as well and she instantly went to 'protective mother hen mode'.

"You didn't get cursed, did you? Or did you run into something? Oh, Merlin, please tell me you didn't get attacked!"

"We didn't get attacked." Harry reassured her, though he added, "By a person".

"Okay, that's it. You lot will be grounded for at least a month if you go off somewhere after curfew by yourselves. Understood? Good." James shook his head, nicking some potions from Remus and Sirius for himself. Now he understood why his friends were so protective of them. They were absolutely essential when they were reading about his son's life.

* * *

_**[Page 167 - Hermione had turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady to get back inside and found herself facing an empty painting..."I've been out here for hours. I couldn't remember the new password to get in to bed."]**_

"Merlin, Hermione, you tried to tell them to not break the rules and got stuck outside? How unlucky is that?" Parvati let out rather inelegant snort. "And Neville, too! He couldn't get in because he didn't knew the password. Fate must hate you two."

"And why on Earth did you follow them, anyways? Everyone knows Harry has really bad luck."

"Well, I didn't know it back then and I sincerely regret my choice. Gryffindor losing points would have been the last thing I would have been worried about if I knew what kind of situation I would be in." Hermione made a face, clearly regretting her decision.

"At least you had a chance to choose. Me, on the other hand, didn't even have that. I mean, really, the only thing I wanted was just get into my dormitory and _sleep._ How was I supposed to know the password would change while I was in the Hospital Wing? I really feel for myself." Neville sighed, glaring pointedly at the two teens in front of him. "I blame you for all of this, by the way."

"Hey, it was Ron who accepted the challenge and not me!" Harry jumped to defend himself, ignoring his friend's outraged cry. "Besides, if we didn't come out you would have been stuck outside all night with Bloody Baron passing by."

"Well, I prefer that instead of meeting _him_."

"I'm too old for this." Remus muttered, slapping away the other Marauder's hands from his prized potions.

* * *

_**[Page 172 - They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog which filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads..."It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something."]**_

"Oh, no." Lily whimpered. Despite how weak she wounded, she was lightning fast and she managed to snatch some potions. "Oh, no."

"You, you-" Mrs. Weasley was also in the same state as she clutched her husband's arm for her dear life. "You met a _what_?"

"It was Hermione's fault!" The three boys pointed at the only female at once, overlooking her outraged expression. "She opened the door!"

"_Excuse me?!_" Hermione scowled darkly at them but they looked elsewhere, whistling innocently. "Don't you _dare_ try to make this look like it was all _my_ fault. This would have never happened if you two only wizened up and just told a professor about this!"

"You met a cerberus." Fred stared at them in awe. "How are you even _alive_?"

"We wonder about the same thing every single day." Ron muttered, skimming through all the life-threatening situations he and his friends encountered in his head. "Yep. We definitely should have been dead."

"Unbelievable." George shook his head. "You clearly are Fate's favorites though she surely has some wicked way of showing it."

"You, young man, are grounded." Mr. Weasley stated rigidly, still in shock to hear that his son had been that close to getting killed. It was like Ginny's first year all over again, only it was Ron's and he didn't even know about this for five years.

"You too, Harry." James declared as well, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Others, who were either aware that the teens were sitting safe and sound or were just thrilled at their tale, were eagerly trying to piece what Hermione meant by 'what it was standing on'.

"Maybe there a treasure?" Ernie guessed wildly, looking intrigued.

"I think it might be a door or something. You know, like a trapdoor that leads you to another place. I mean, Dumbledore wouldn't have just put that dog there for no reason. Maybe it's guarding something important!" Lisa exclaimed, pleased with her deduction. Her grin widened when book-Harry confirmed her thoughts. "Aha! So it was guarding the little package from the vault seven hundred and thirteen! I wonder what is that." She mused, lost in thought.

"Good to know some people enjoys hearing about this." Harry muttered as he failed again to convince his parents to not ground him or at least shorten the time. He was pretty certain one year of grounding just for that was really extreme and at this rate, he would be grounded for the rest of his life if his parents kept doing this.

"-and Sirius and Remus will be guarding you when neither of us are available."

"You mean watching me 24/7." Harry deadpanned, dodging a swat from Sirius. "I don't need a watchdog! I can take care of myself perfectly!"

"Except stopping yourself from being nosy and finding troubles." Hermione coughed into her hand, blinking innocently when Harry turned to glare at her. "What?"

"I don't _find_ trouble. _Trouble_ finds _me_!"

"Harry, if you keep complaining, we'll double the grounding time." Lily warned, pressing a hand over her chest, relieved all Gryffindors managed to get out alive in one piece. "Now quiet. If we have to listen to this, better get it over with. I just hope my heart can take it."

"Same here." Chorused the Marauders, numerous empty vials lying all around them.

* * *

**Hello, everyone! I know, so sorry I didn't update for this long but I rewrote the previous chapters to show only the reactions. I tried to make it understandable but if there are anyone who are confused what is going on, do tell me so I can fix it.**

**So I hope this reached your expectations and please tell me what your opinions are. Good? Bad? Something to improve?**

**Thank you for reading and please read and review!**


	13. Halloween

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

**Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone**

**Halloween**

* * *

_**[Page 175 - Harry filled Ron in about the package that seemed to have been moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts, and they spent a lot of time wondering what could possibly need such heavy protection...Neither Neville or Hermione showed the slightest interest in what lay underneath the dog and the trapdoor.]**_

"You got nearly _killed_ and all you two can think of is what that package might be? Are you serious?" Seamus openly gaped at him, incredulity clear in his tone. The two blushed deeply, not even having a chance to defend themselves as the others voiced their agreements as well.

"Well, at least _some_ people have common sense." Ginny muttered, shaking her head slowly. "Neville and Hermione have already lost interests - not that anyone should find interest in a gigantic, three-headed dog that almost bit their head off, mind you - and their top priority is to never go near that dog ever again. Which is good, a normal thing to do as a person with healthy amount of fear and concern of their own safety."

"Are you calling me suicidal?" Ron demanded, finally breaking free of his very panicked mom, scowling at his sister. "'Cause I'm not. Harry is."

"Hey!"

"What? I wasn't the one to suggest going to the _huge, man-eating spiders_!"

"How was I suppose to know following normal, _tiny_ spiders led to _those_? And from what I remember, you also agreed to the idea!"

"Only because you forced me to!"

"I never did! Stop lying!"

"Oh, are you calling _me_ a liar? Well, at least I'm not as insane as you who decided that tackling a fully grown troll head-first was a great idea."

"I take offence to that!"

"It was meant to be offensive!"

"Well, do I need to remind you whose bright idea it was to drive a flying car over muggles in a broad daylight without any spells to keep them from seeing us?"

"That wasn't my fault!"

"Uh huh, because I am the one with red hair and freckles."

"Well, you-"

"Alright, that's enough, you two!" Hermione cut in, whacking their head lightly for emphasis. "I think that you've given enough heart attacks for a day, yes?"

Indeed, over half of the students were staring at them with their mouths hanging open. Some people looked like they were on verge of fainting, if their paleness and the quickness of their breathing was anything to go by. Sheepish, the two Gryffindors gave an awkward laugh, fidgeting nervously under Hermione's exasperated look. "Uh, we were joking?"

"I'm starting to think that the only way to keep you lot safe is to lock you in a room." Lily sighed, burying her face into her hands, groaning softly. "Why do you have to get yourselves into so dangerous situations?"

"We've been trying to find out the answer to that for years. Still have no idea, though."

* * *

_**[Page 176 - 'DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE. It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand...']**_

"You gave him a Nimbus Two Thousand?" James nearly squeaked in excitement, to much amusement of his friends. "Oh, I knew you were actually a softie under all that strict act, Minnie, and my son managed to charm his way into your heart! We should all celebrate!"

"You didn't even see a Nimbus Two Thousand yet, James." Remus rolled his eyes at his friend, watching fondly as the messy-haired adult waved him off with a scoff, bombarding his poor son with questions about his flying skills. Even after all those years that separated them, it felt so natural to relax around his best friends, joking and bickering. It was as if nothing had happened and it was great to have his friends back, friends who had stood by him throughout their whole school years despite the fact that he was a werewolf. Even though he didn't know if this will last forever, he would be damned if he wasted even a second of this.

"So? From what I gather from their reactions, it's something fabulous and if it's not, well, that's my son who's riding it so that makes it fabulous." James declared and Remus had to chuckle at his antics. He had been dead for years and it seemed like he didn't even change the slightest. In fact, he was even more lively now and he bet his entire fortune that he had pranked other unfortunate souls during his 'death'.

"James, you are not giving our son an ego as big as yours." Lily spoke up, grabbing her hyperactive husband's arm and stopping him from continuing to bounce around in excitement, well used to his antics by now. "You are much more than I can handle and Merlin forbid if I have to take care of another one."

"Oh, come on, Lily-flower, I know you love me." James countered easily, giving her a light peek on her cheek. "But seriously, I need to see him fly as soon as possible or I might just die from curiosity. Why don't we go out during the next break? Yes, that's a great idea! We can finally see our son fly on a broom! Oh, I can just cry right now."

"Ignore him, dear. He's just excited." Lily whispered to Harry, chuckling fondly as she watched James ramble on and on. Harry couldn't help but grin as well, perfectly content with his life at the moment as he was surrounded by his family and friends.

* * *

_**[Page 184 - "It's no wonder no one can stand her. She's a nightmare, honestly."]**_

"_Ronald Bilius Weasley!_" Mrs. Weasley yelled, completely appalled by her son's behavior. "How could you say such things about her! Apologize right now!"

"But I already did say sorry ages ago!" Ron protested, yelping loudly when his mother smacked his head. "Ow! Alright, alright. I'm sorry for bad mouthing you and making fun of you, Hermione. There, happy?"

"Do it _sincerely!_"

"_Ow!_ What was that for? Ouch! Okay, fine! Hermione, I'm so sorry for saying oh so terrible thing and ruining your reputation. Do you think you could ever forgive me for my terrible sins?" Ron asked in mock-seriousness, looking up at her while he was on his knees on the ground. Hermione stifled her giggles and replied in equal solemnity, playing along.

"Though you have broke my heart by saying those foul things, I shall graciously accept your apology since you had asked so nicely." She declared dramatically, taking his offered hand. Not able to hold back any longer, the two of them burst into laughter, doubling over and gasping for breath.

"I still can't believe how they became friends." Neville sighed, shaking his head. "I mean, when they were first years, they were at each other's throats constantly and one day, poof, they are best buddies. How is that even possible?"

"Pay attention to the book and you'll understand." Harry answered, then added as an afterthought. "Or not. I don't think any of you became friends the way we did so you might think we are crazy."

"_Might?_" Hermione snorted inelegantly, raising her eyebrow.

"Most likely would."

"_Most likely?_" This time, it was Ron who objected, grinning.

"Fine. 99% would." Harry huffed crossly as everyone stared at him. "What? Do I need to remind you that I'm not he only one who did that? Those two were also in it, you know."

"That's it. I need more Calming Draughts." Remus announced then proceeded to snatch some from his friends, ignoring their yelp of protests.

* * *

_**[Page 185 - "Troll - in the dungeons - thought you ought to know."..."Hermione. She doesn't know about the troll."]**_

"_Trolls?_" Lily shrieked, her hands once again having a vice grip on Harry who was starting to lose the feeling of his arm she was holding. "How did a _troll_ get into a school full of _children_? Hogwarts was supposed to be the safest place on Earth!"

"The key word being 'supposed to be'." Harry mumbled, trying to pry off his mother's fingers off him so his blood could flow into his arm like it was supposed to. "It's not like that was the most dangerous thing I've done until now. I didn't even get injured that time and it wasn't entirely my fault since it was because of Ron that Hermione stayed in a bathroom."

Of course that was the wrong thing to say and it only agitated her even more, causing her to grab some Calming Draughts for herself. She pointed her wand at her husband when he tried to take them back, glaring. "Don't you dare, James. You already had dozens of them and I need it more than you do."

Having enough sense to see arguing will only result to his pain, he wisely turned away and started wrestling his friends to steal some. They weren't the only ones causing a scene, as other professors - though more discreetly - were fighting each other to secure theirs as well, Madam Pomfrey sighing in relief as she subtly took out one of her hidden potions. She knew she would need them at some point of time and she was infinitely glad that she listened to her instinct and hid some for herself. Otherwise, she would have had to fight for some like her colleagues.

The only ones unaffected were Umbridge, Fudge and Snape. Umbridge and Fudge because they didn't care whether the boy got killed or not because of his own recklessness and Snape because he knew he had got out alive. But he had to rub his temple as he felt headache coming just by thinking of the amount of Calming Draughts he would have to make. Really, why did they have to consume so much? Couldn't they see the brat sitting right next to them, perfectly alive and healthy?

"Still, why did you have to go all by yourselves? Couldn't you have just told a professor or something?" Ernie asked weakly, wincing as he thought about what would happen to the book-Gryffindors. None of the outcomes were pleasant though, in fact, it only got worse as his imagination gradually went wild, and he could only hope the troll didn't beat them into pulp so they wouldn't have to listen to the gruesome details. He didn't think he could stop his lunch from coming up if he had to listen to it.

"What I want to know is why was Professor Quirrell in the dungeons in the first place? Shouldn't he have been in the Great Hall with the rest of the professors?" Terry wondered out loud, frowning as he mulled over that thought.

"Maybe he was in a guard patrol?" Lisa suggested but she didn't seem to be entirely convinced either.

* * *

_**[Page 186 - Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy but Snape..."He's heading for the third floor."]**_

"Why was Professor Snape there?"

All students - minus the Slytherins - stared suspiciously at the said professor who was outright ignoring and occasionally sneering at them. So the Potter and Weasley saw him there, huh? That would explain their suspicious looks and wariness during their first year. He thought they suspected him of stealing the Philosopher's Stone - Merlin knew how those three managed to figure _that_ out - out of mere hunches. Turns out he was wrong and they did have some proofs to suspect him. It didn't change the fact that they were too nosy for their own good, though. He knew they would some day get killed because of their curiosity. It was just like the muggle saying, 'curiosity kills a cat'.

"Wait, Harry said he was heading to the third floor, didn't he?" Padma realised, her eyes widening. "Maybe he's heading for the forbidden corridor!"

"But why would he go _there_?" Parvati pointed out reasonably, shuddering as she wondered why would _anyone_ go there intentionally and risk getting bitten off by a giant cerberus.

"I don't know, it was just a guess." Padma shrugged, frowning as she thought what motives the Potions Professor would have. "Doesn't matter. Harry would find out the reason."

"Why does everyone expect me to find out an answer to every mystery?"

"Stop complaining, Harry. You know as much as your luck and decision sucks most of the time, you are absolutely fantastic at solving mysteries." Ron answered, rolling his eyes at his pouting friend.

* * *

_**[Page 187 - With one great leap, Harry managed to grab the key, slam the door and lock it.]**_

"That was you guys?! Do you even know how terrified I was when the door didn't open? I thought I was going to die!" Hermione scowled, glaring at her friends. Ron immediately pushed Harry in front of himself, yelling, "It was Harry's idea!"

"Gee, thanks a lot, Ron. This is what a true friendship looks like."

"What? It's true! You were the one who suggested locking the troll in."

"We wouldn't have been put into that situation if you kept control of your mouth!"

"Hey!"

"That's enough." Hermione sighed, successfully stopping the argument. "I'll forgive you two for that, okay? Now be quiet."

"Thank you!" They exclaimed, grinning widely. The bushy-haired witch huffed, half-irritated and half-amused. "You did that on purpose, didn't you? To make me forgive you?"

Their widening grins were only answers she got.

"Oh, why do I even bother to put up with you?" She sighed, shaking her head.

"Aw, come on, Mione. I know you love us." Harry teased, laughing when she half-heartedly sent hexes in their direction. "Yeah, I love you, too."

* * *

_**[Page 188 - He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind.]**_

"So that's what you meant by becoming friends by wrestling a troll!" The Weasley twins exclaimed, breaking into huge grins. "Man, that's so cool!"

"No, that is definitely _not_ cool." Ginny muttered, her freckles standing out from her stark white face. "They could have been crushed to death! What were you thinking? No, don't answer. I know what you were thinking. You were thinking nothing, that's what you were thinking. Do you have any idea how many heart attacks you gave me these past hours?"

"No, but I know I'll go completely deaf if anyone else screams right next to my ear again." Harry answered, rubbing his ears. Honestly, one would think being adults they had more self-control. But no, they didn't even try to contain themselves and let out a stream of rambling about how he should stop diving head-first into those kind of situations. How many times did he have to say that the troubles kept coming after him like a pack of hungry hyenas? Hell, his top wish was to live _normal_ for once. It wasn't like he wanted an evil, psychopath Dark Lord out for his blood.

"Good thing you learned levitation charm." Remus said weakly, looking worse for wear. The first years look at each other, silently vowing to themselves to master the spell as quickly as possible. "Who knew such a simple spell could be so useful?"

James and Lily were too busy lunging at the potions to answer and Sirius was torn between following their examples or making sure his godson was alright. He settles on the latter, draping an arm over his shoulder tightly, saying, "You better not pull that stunt again or I'll ground you for a year."

"Make it two." James grunted from where he was engaged in furious battle with his wife for only remaining potion.

"Two years, then." Sirius amended, sighing. "You really do have the worst luck, huh, pup?"

"Well, at least that event will definitely make a strong bond between the three of them." Neville pointed out, laying his head onto the cool surface of the table. "You sure have the weirdest way of making friends, Harry."

"Well, I did befriend a House Elf who was trying to save my life by almost killing me, so I guess that's a fair judgement."

Neville stared, proceeded to open his mouth only to shut it again. "You know what? I don't want to know, so don't tell me."

"The book will tell you anyways."

"Ugh. See, this is why I hate books. They are dangerous and bad for your health!" Sirius exclaimed and Remus grimaced as well. "For once, I agree with you. I hate reading this."

* * *

**Hello, dear readers! I am so sorry this chapter took so long but I was caught up between homework, projects and reading fanfictions. But I promise I'll write the next chapter faster.**

**Thank you for all of you who've read this and any suggestions or comments are welcome! Please read and review!**


	14. Quidditch

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

**Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone**

**Quidditch**

* * *

_**[Page 193 - Quidditch]**_

"Finally we are going to listen to some nice, non-life threatening, fun stuff." James sighed in relief, not noticing Harry's friends' grimaces. "I mean, how could Quidditch be dangerous? Yeah, maybe you might get hit by a Bludger once or twice but nothing serious, right?" He looked around, his hope vanishing as he took in people's expressions. "...Right?"

"James, Quidditch is played on brooms without anything to protect them should they fall, and did I ever mention Harry did exactly that because of the dementors in his third year?" Remus asked rhetorically and sympathetically patted his rapidly paling friend's back. "I know, I know. It gave me a heart attack, watching him tumble from the sky, but Dumbledore managed to slow him down in time." For some reason, that didn't seem to reassure him at all.

"Please tell me there won't be any dementors attacking my son in this." Lily pleaded and Sirius was quick to answer her. "There won't be any dementors attacking Harry. Yet." He added, only realizing his mistake when she started tugging handful of hair in agitation.

"I just _know_ I'm going to have grey hairs before we even go through half of this blasted book."

"Same here."

* * *

_**[Page 195 - "He's just made that rule up," Harry muttered angrily as Snape limped away. "Wonder what's wrong with his leg?"]**_

"Why is Snape limping?" Lavender wondered, cocking her head.

"Shouldn't you say, 'why _was_ Snape limping'? It did happen in the past, after all." Parvati commented, protesting when her friend swatted at her. "Who cares? I'm trying to solve this mystery here!"

"Yeah, right." Parvati scoffed, batting away the other girl's hand. "Like _you _of all people can solve it. Forgive me if I have hard time believing it."

"Hey! Watch what you are saying or you'll regret it." Lavender threatened. The other snorted at that, giving her a look. "Like you can beat me. You can barely master a spell during the DA class-"

She cut off quickly, painfully aware that she made Umbridge aware of their secret meetings and might have doomed her fellow classmates in the process as well. Gulping, she risked a slight glance at the DADA professor who, as suspected, was looking very giddy with anticipation.

"Excuse me, Miss. Patil?" She asked sweetly, her pink clipboard ready to record everything she said, word-by-word. "Care to elaborate?"

"Pardon?" Parvati, deciding playing dumb was the safest option, reasked, plastering an expression that displayed genuine curiosity. Judging from the winces and nervous fidgeting of the DA members, she wasn't as successful as she wished.

"The 'DA class', Miss. Patil." She prompted, her smile becoming more victorious victorious by every passing seconds. "Could you please explain?"

"Oh, that?" She gave a nervous laugh which might have been convincing if her voice hadn't been an octave higher than usual. It would have helped if she stopped stammering and constantly wringing her hands. "It's just, uh, nothing really. Just a, um-"

"It's our study group." Harry piped in as it was clear the Ravenclaw won't be fairing any longer. Mustering up every lying and acting skills he used in the Dursleys', Harry squared his shoulders and met the woman's sharp gaze. As annoying as she was, she wasn't stupid and he couldn't let her punish his friends without at least trying to stop it. "It's actually an initial for...Data Analyse. We go over the information we've read in DADA and analyse it so we can perfect our knowledge on the spells."

Tense silence followed for the next few minutes as Umbridge squinted at him suspiciously from the High Table, trying to find any hint of lying. Harry, in return, met her gaze squarely and didn't waver, almost daring her to say something. But truthfully, he was sweating inside, praying to every gods he knew that she would just let the matter drop. To his utmost relief, Umbridge sniffed and broke their gaze, apparently buying the story. For now, at least.

He could see the members of DA visibly slumping, letting out relieved breaths. But their good mood instantly vanished when the DADA Professor called out again. "That is still punishable, Mr. Potter, as it was stated in Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four, all student organizations are henceforth disbanded and everyone associated to that organization without approval of the High Inquisitor, which is myself, will be expelled."

Harry's stomach dropped, dread filling him in. He couldn't trick his way out of this one and it seemed that the best solution was to take as much blame as he could on himself so the others won't be punished as harshly. Just as he opened his mouth, Hermione - who, along with Ron, would've figured out what he was going to do - beat him to it.

"But Professor Umbridge," Hermione quickened her speech as the said woman tried to silence her. "In it, you specified the student organization as 'a regular meeting of three or more students', which DA isn't. See, when the 'members' of DA meet, it's just a student with good grades teaching another student. It's like one-to-one mentoring, so there were only two students meeting each time and those meetings weren't even regular. We had to find a free time for both student so we only had three 'meetings' until now. So you can't punish us and besides, we are using our free time to study more. Shouldn't that be a thing to be complimented?"

Stumped, Umbridge spluttered angrily as she tried to find a fault in her logic. Hermione, like Harry did before, looked at her straight in her eyes, practically radiating determination and defiance.

"Well, you can't argue with that, Dolores." Professor McGonagall cut in smoothly, her gaze cold as she looked down at her colleague. "They _are_ studying when they could have been goofing around instead. I think that's an act to be encouraged, not get punished for."

"I agree." Professor Sprout voiced her opinion as well, smiling frostily as Umbridge's face turned red from anger. "You wouldn't expel them for trying to get good grades, would you?"

"No, of course not." Umbridge smiled back, but it was clear it was forced from how it was strained and twisted that it looked more like a grimace. Then, she turned to address Harry and Hermione, her eyes looking like they were on fire from the pure hate it held. "Well, then. You won't be expelled but since you did break the rule, I will take hundred points each for Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, Ms. Brown and Ms. Patil."

Harry winced as he could literally _hear_ the gems in the Gryffindor hourglass clanking against each other as they made their way up, disappearing. Just great. Three hundred points lost in a _day_. That must be a record. But he supposed it was much better than getting expelled. Much better.

"What were you thinking?" Hermione hissed like a cat as soon as Umbridge turned her attention back to the book. "Don't you dare play dumb with me, Harry. I know you. You were trying to take all the blame so we won't get expelled for it. When would you stop trying to play hero and ask for help when you need it?"

"Sorry." Harry murmured, hiding a wince. "I know, I know, I shouldn't have tried to do that but can you blame me for trying to stop her from expelling everyone? You know she would have happily done it in a heartbeat if she got a chance. Nice save, by the way. Didn't know you could lie that well."

"I'm not all goody two shoes, as you should know by now." Hermione huffed, rolling her eyes. "Don't you remember the time me lying to the professors after the whole troll incident? Anyways, you really should stop trying to do things alone. We won't hestiate for even a second to help you, unless of course it's something really insane and suicidal. Friends are for that kind of things, helping each other and sometimes knocking some sense into you. You probably go into habit of doing by yourself because of the Dursleys-"

She stopped, looking shocked that she said that aloud. Harry could vaguely sense that he had tensed as soon as she said his relatives' name and forced himself to relax, if only to not make Hermione more guilty than she already was. She looked like she was ready to cry or apologize over and over or possibly both. With a sigh, he ran his hand through his hair, feeling his messy locks, and tried to reassure her and the others around who was listening in, though they were polite enough to look away. Or that might just be because they were trying not to irritate him more so he won't explode on them. "Look, Hermione, I appreciate you concern, but I just-" He stopped, wringing his hands nervously. "I guess you are right about that. In the Dursleys, I had to do things on my own and now-I can't just change overnight. You know that. I'll try, that much I can promise you, but this habit-it will take a long time to change."

"Well, we'll be besides you all the time and we'll be damned if we let you down." Ron piped in with a grin, the others quickly nodding to show their agreements. "Enough with the sensitive stuff for now. What you guys did back there, that was bloody awesome! I didn't know you guys had it in you."

"We agree." Fred scooted over, his trademark cheshire cat grin on his face. "That was absolutely _amazing_. Remind me just _why_ we didn't include you guys in our prank earlier?"

"I have no idea." George muttered, looking star-struck. "I mean, seriously? I feel so idiotic that I hadn't noticed these great potentials when they were _right next to me_."

"Tell me about it." Fred sighed morosely, squinting at the two very uncomfortable Gryffindors. "But I suppose since they are so talented, we can shape them up into good pranksters even if we train them starting now." He sighed, looking like a person who just lost everything. "Why didn't we notice you two earlier? You could've been the greatest pranksters ever lived! Well, except for us and the Marauders, of course, but still. Such a big loss."

"Wait, don't we get to have a say about this?" Hermione exclaimed, flabbergasted.

"No."

"For some reason I knew you would say that." Harry scowled half-heartedly at them who just smiled back cheekily.

"Honestly, you guys were great! Granted, the professors helped, but you still stumped Umbridge back there. Way to show her, eh?" Neville grinned, looking amused.

"By the way, you have lots of praises waiting." Ginny announced and Harry turned to see that, indeed, the members of DA were all waving - discreetly, of course. It won't be good to let Umbridge notice them - at their direction, giving them thumbs-ups and grins. Heck, even Slytherins were looking impressed and two of them - Harry vaguely recalled the older girl was Daphne Greengrass and the younger girl Astoria - went as far as giving him a curt nod and a smile. Just as he registered that _Slytherins_ had acknowledged him that wasn't hatred, Sirius tackled him from behind, his hand ruffling his hair so that his already messy locks went wild.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you, Harry! You just lied _fluently_ and _flawlessly!_ I knew you were a prankster at heart, I never doubted it! See, Remmy? I _told_ you he was a troublemaker, didn't I? I told you!"

"Alright, Sirius. Let the poor boy breathe." Remus said and Harry scowled as he realized he sounded way too amused when his life was squeezed out of him by his own godfather. Wasn't godfathers supposed to not let their godsons get hurt and not the other way around? Still, Sirius - who was still grinning widely - let go of him and Harry had few seconds to get his bearings back only to get tackled _again_ by his father.

"IknewitIknewitIknewit_Iknewit_! I _knew_ you were just like me and I told your mother but she never listened, always saying you weren't as insane as me and all those things but I knew you were just like me the moment you were born, _I knew it_!" He crowed triumphantly, looking delightened. Harry could swear that he was literally vibrating and he was losing the feelings of his torso from how his upper part of his body was squashed against his father's chest. Fortunately, his mother spared him from suffocating as she smacked the back of her husband's head, rolling her eyes exasperatedly. "James, that's enough. We heard you loud and clear the first time you said, 'I knew it'."

"Thank you." Harry sighed in relief as he nursed his arms to stop the tingling sensation he was having. "Geez, I didn't know lying was a thing for celebration."

"Not to most people." Lily said, amused as she watched James, Sirius and the Weasley twins doing their victory dance, oblivious of the weird stares they were getting. "I, for one, don't like it but I guess I can let this one slide."

"We've gotten off track very quickly, hadn't we?" Luna blinked, looking puzzled. "I didn't know talking about why Professor Snape was limping would end up with Harry and Hermione getting cheered because they lied to their professor. Is that a normal occurence?"

"Um, no. Now that I think about it, why aren't anyone wondering about that, anyways?" Harry frowned, cocking his head like a confused puppy.

"Because we know you'll figure that out eventually, duh." Ernie replied off-handedly, not taking his gaze off the book. Harry blinked.

* * *

_**[Page 196 - One of his legs was bloody and mangled..."How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"]**_

Students gasped in horror as they realized the same thing as the book-Harry.

"Snape was trying to go past that three-headed dog!" Terry exclaimed loudly, his eyes as wide as saucers. "He was the one who let the troll in! To steal whatever the the Cerberus was guarding."

"Now don't get too hasty." Lisa frowned as she concentrated and Terry could almost _hear_ the gears in her head spinning hundred miles an hour. "We don't know for sure if he was there for bad intention. The only solid fact is that he went to that room and got bitten. You can't just conclude he went there to steal that package and if he really wanted to be succesful, shouldn't he have prepared better? I mean, he obviously knew that the Cerberus was guarding it, so why wouldn't he at least have a spell ready to defend himself against it? And why didn't he attack, anyways? I'm sure he knows dozens of useful offensive spells. Maybe he was sent by the Headmaster to check the room?"

"But why would Professor Dumbledore need the room checked? Isn't a giant, three-headed dog enough security?" Terry countered but Lisa shook her head.

"But that package, whatever it might be, would have to be very important for Professor Dumbledore to set Hagrid to retrieve it and place it in Hogwarts which, mind you, is the safest place in the _world. _And don't forget that failed attempt of robbing Gringotts. Someone tried to steal that package and probably would try again. Which is why the Headmaster is making sure nobody tried going into the room while the troll acted as a diversion!"

"But it could be Snape who planned the whole thing so he could steal it."

"Maybe, but-"

"_Hem hem_."

The two Ravenclaws startled and blushed furiously as they realized they had everyone's sole attention. Now they knew what Harry felt like everyday and it wasn't as nice as they imagined it would be.

"Great deductions, Mr. Boot and Ms. Turpin." Professor McGonagall praised lightly, a shadow of smile visible on her lips, though no one knew for sure whether it was from fondness of the two students or amusement of their reactions. Other professors smiled at them as well, Professor Flitwick more so than the others.

"Thank you." They squeaked, covering their flaming hot faces.

"They're not Ravenclaws for nothing." Ron whispered to Harry and Hermione, who had to agree. They were getting really close to the truth without every clues. If only they thought it through like them, they wouldn't have encountered half of the troubles they got themselves into during their first year. Granted, they couldn't exactly keep a cool head with all the life-threatening situations and adrenalin but still.

* * *

_**[Page 197 - "Harry, you need your strength," said Seamus Finnigan. "Seekers are always the ones who get nobbled by the other team."]**_

"Gee, Seamus, what a great way to encourage an already frightened kid." Dean rolled his eyes, sarcasm clear in his tone. "Really? You know that won't help him calm down a bit. Heck, it will only freak him out even more."

Seamus sniffed, pointedly ignoring his friend in favor of observing Harry. He had been very rude to the Gryffindor lately, and he had a very good reason. Or at least, he thought so. When he started saying You-Know-Who was back and the Headmaster fully supported it without a second thought, he followed his mother's and majority of public's opinion, branding him as an attention-seeking liar. It seemed reasonable, at the time, but now after hearing his life he wasn't so sure. Thinking back, he didn't _want_ to believe him because he was _scared. _He heard the tales of what You-Know-Who did to wizards and witches who weren't a pure-blood and he was downright _terrified_ that it might happen to him and his family. He guessed it was kind of cowardly and foolish since denying something because he didn't want to believe it didn't make it stop being the truth. That is, if he was being truthful and not insane or anything.

_"Ack!"_

Just then, Harry let out a rather unmanly yelp as his father - who was dead and now just_...not._ Wow, that was a whole new _level_ of weird - squashed him, crowing about how he knew he would make him proud and even if he didn't win, he'll still be proud though he knew there was no way he'll lose after listening to how easily he rode a broom. Really, it seemed that Potter's father was the one who wasn't entirely sane, not the other way around. At the moment, Harry looked like an average teenager, surrounded by his friends and family, laughing and joking without a care for the world. Now that he thought about it, he didn't think he've seen him this carefree since...ever. It seemed like there was always something that troubled him now that he thought back. This year had been tougher than last four years since everyone except for few had been avoiding him or downright antagonizing him, himself included.

But the bloody book was making him doubt judgment and he had no idea how he should act. He felt completely lost, struggling between supporting his mother's presumption and believing Harry, like some of them were doing. He didn't know what he should _think._ Should he trust Harry's statement and prepare for the possible war against Voldemort or should he listen to the Ministry and about their declaration about how Dumbledore was losing his touch and Harry was just a power hungry boy, willing to do anything to get attention?

"I swear, if you two don't let go of me right _now,_ I _will_ turn your hair into green and silver and charm your clothes to say, 'Slytherins are the best!'."

Seamus couldn't stop his lips turning upwards as Harry threatened his father and his godfather, who were the most immature adults he'd ever met, to let go of him. The duo stopped smothering the exasperated teen so quickly that they almost tripped on themselves, grinning sheepishly though no trace of apology could be seen for squeezing the life out of the raven-haired teen. He would deal with those ominous thoughts. Right now, he was going to enjoy the surprisingly humorous bickerings of Harry and his friends.

* * *

_**[Page 199 - Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle. Fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air. They were off.]**_

James and Sirius gave a loud cheer.

"Yeah, go Harry!"

"Would you please cheer without blowing my eardrums in the process?" Remus winced, rubbing his right ear which was yelled straight at by Sirius. Thanks to the wolf side of him, he had much better sight and hearing than normal human, which unfortunately meant it could be easily damaged by his loud and obnoxious friend. The said dog-animagi gave a grin, not apologetic in the slightest. "What? We are hearing about Harry's first Quidditch game. This is a moment that deserves to be recorded! Why don't people write about this stuff and not about those boring things about goblins?"

"Sirius, you always say it's a moment worthy to be in historical record if it has anything to do with Harry."

"Can you blame me? It's Harry!"

"You do realize you just sounded like a fangirl with extreme obession."

"I wasn't fangirling. I was fangodfather-ing!"

"...Right. I'm just going to ignore the sheer idiocity and ridiculousness of that statement."

Harry rolled his eyes at their antics, half-exasperated and half-amused. Sometimes, they were way more childish than actual kids. but he had to admit they were really fun to listen to. He guessed Hermione, Ron and himself sounded like that when they were arguing. Huh, so that was why people seemed so amused while they were mock-insulting each other. He started when his father started yelling advices and orders - "No, no, don't let them take the Quaffle!" "Great move! Now just shoot! Come on, the distance can't be that long, score! YES!" - at the book and shook his head ruefully. It seemed Oliver Wood's obession for Quidditch had a competitor which he didn't think it was possible. He shuddered as he thought what kind of training his father must have had thought of when he was the Quidditch Captain. He really pitied the poor souls who had the unfortunate luck of being in the Gryffindor Quidditch team during that time.

The Gryffindors cheered along with their book-selves, excited despite the fact that this all happened years ago and they already knew the outcome. Slytherins were scowling moodily as they thought back to getting beaten.

"Oh, come one, don't be like that." Harry grinned cheekily. "Where are your good sportsmanship?"

"Shut up, Potter." Draco scowled, glaring darkly at the Gryffindor. Thus, the start of the verbal fight. But it was different from their ususal banter as they found themselves actually enjoying their exchange of sarcastic insults. It certainly helped that they weren't on each other's throat, ready to kill each other at sight. Harry's lip twitched upward in a smirk while Draco's eyebrow rose up, a bit impressed that the Gryffindor could keep up with his sarcasm. Not many could do that before they either exploded from anger or turned into bright red from embarrassment. Well, Harry Potter was always full of surprises.

It took them several minutes to register that people were watching back and forth between them like a tennis match, some looking amused and some less so. They stopped, Harry grinning sheepishly while Draco leaned back with a smirk. Lily shook her head, exasperated.

"I don't even know what to say anymore."

"Yeah. I mean, it sounded you two were trying to tear each other apart by antagonizing each other yet you two didn't seem to mind a bit." Ron scrunched his face, confused beyond hope. "What the hell? How is that even possible?"

"Not everyone lacks that many brain cells as you do, Weasley." Draco retorted, idly picking his fingernail. He smirked as his words caused the reaction he was hoping for. Ron spluttered angrily, his ears slowly becoming pink. Harry shot him a look that clearly said, 'stop trying to rile him up', but the blond boy chose to ignore him. Mentally rolling his eyes at his - enemy's? friend's? - behavior, Harry tried to calm his friend. "Woah, Ron, slow down. It's not really a big deal. We were just having a...friendly verbal sparring, yeah, that's it. Nothing to get upset about."

"How can you use the word 'friendly' when you are describing Malfoy?" Ron exclaimed, horrified. Harry facepalmed.

* * *

_**[Page 203 - Harry's broom had given a wild jerk and Harry swung off it. He was now dangling from it, holding on with only one hand.]**_

A strangled scream escaped Lily's mouth as she stared at the book, frozen in her seat, scared out of her mind for fear of her son's safety. James was in no better condition. Blood had drained out of his face while he listened, horrified, to yet another life-threatening situation his son once again found himself in. The Potters were now getting what people meant by Harry being a trouble magnet. It seemed that he couldn't live normal - well, as normal as it could be for a wizard - and peaceful life for a single _month!_ They just knew they were going to have grey hairs all over before they were even forty.

Wordlessly, Remus, who apparently was the only one with operating brain, handed out some Calming Draughts for them which they took gratefully. He knew by firsthand that that wasn't the last time Harry nearly got killed during Quidditch games - he could swear his heart had stopped for a minute when he saw Harry tumbling towards the ground with dementors at his tail - but that didn't make hearing his near-death experience any easier. In fact, it made the whole thing even worse. Well, at least he wasn't watching it, so that was something but knowing his luck, they would probably end up watching a movie or something. Wow, his life sucked. He briefly wondered if he had to worry for his mental state that he was considering watching his honorary godson's life was worse than getting bitten by a werewolf.

"How come nobody told me anything about this?" Ginny exclaimed, wincing and flinching everytime the book-broom gave a jerk, threatening to shake Harry off.

"Do you want a honest answer or an answer that's not so truthful but that won't give you a heart attack?" Ron asked, wincing sympathetically when the youngest Weasley gave a groan and slumped forward, burying her head into her arms. Sirius, who was whimpering for the past minutes, grimaced and answered instead. "I know I'm seriously going to regret this but, the honest answer, please?"

"Well, that wasn't the most dangerous stunt we pulled that year, so it really isn't an understatement that whole incident hadn't even occurred to us at the end of the semester." Ron scratched his head ruefully as people stared at him open-mouthed while Sirius returned to his whimpering and Ginny buried her head again as if to block the world out. "I know, I also wonder how our life had turned into this mess."

"Do you have the answer?"

"Uh, my best guess would be that it's because we are friend of Harry." Ron shrugged and let out a rather unmanly yelp as Harry smacked him. "What? It's true!"

"At least your life isn't boring." Luna commented, blinking owlishly. "I believe if you were to sell this as a story, it will be very popular."

"Do I need to feel proud that people enjoys reading my life or annoyed that they seemed to find me struggling entertaining?"

* * *

_**[Page 204 - "I knew it," Hermione gasped. "Snape...He's doing something - jinxing the broom."]**_

"WHAT?!"

Three fourth of the student population yelled in shock, eyes widening as they glanced fearfully at Snape. He merely sneered at them, making it clear that he would hex them without hestiation. That quickly made them turn away, but it didn't stop them from whispering to each other about the new found information. James and Sirius were the most loud and agressive ones.

"How _dare_ he!" James fumed, looking downright murderous. "How dare he to even _think_ about harming my son! I swear, if Harry got even a single _scratch_ because of him, I _will_ kill him!"

"Severus wouldn't have intentionally hurt Harry." Lily shook his, frowning. Snape twitched, honestly surprised. After all those years, and she still defended him, believing in him. He mentally cringed when he imagined what her reaction would be if she learned how he was treating her son. Old friend or not, she was still a mother at heart and add the infamous Evans temper and no one - even the Dark Lord himself - would survive her wrath.

"But didn't you just hear that? He was _jinxing_ Harry's broom!" Sirius waved his arms around as emphasis, deep growl rumbling in his chest as he glared darkly at the Potions Master. It was times like this when Harry could see why some believed he was capable of murder. He looked absolutely _livid,_ his eyes glinting in near insanity from the sheer fury, his fist clenched so tight that he feared his fingernails would break the skin and draw out blood. He knew Sirius was protective of him, especially after losing his best friends by a betrayal of another best friend, but apparently he didn't know the extend of it. To think that he was actually considering killing someone just because he feared Harry got injured because of that person... Harry knew he shouldn't feel happy but he just couldn't help it. Harry felt _good_ because he had someone by him that actually gave a damn about him for the first time in his life_._ Oh, Hermione and Ron cared for him, there was no doubt about that, but they were hardly an adult figure that he could look up to. Now he finally knew what it felt like to have a family that will support him, no matter what.

"Don't you realize? He tried to _kill_ Harry!" Harry was startled out of his thoughts as his godfather yelled, looking frustrated. Apparently, the downside of having adults looking out for him was that they could be very paranoid and unreasonable sometimes. He could use the word 'paranoid' but to be fair, he _did_ have the worst luck. So he supposed the saying 'better be safe than sorry' suited him and he couldn't exactly complain about them being cautious.

"Why don't you just ask them?" Charlie gestured to the three Gryffindors, looking exasperated. He, too, was anxious to hear that someone tried to kill Harry but he knew arguing with each other wasn't going to solve anything. Besides, if they just asked they would get some answers and discover who's responsible. That was when they should plan revenge but for now, he was content with having a cool head and diffusing the tension.

"Well, then, did Snape actually try to kill you?" James asked, his fingers itching towards to his wand, ready to hex him into oblivion. Sirius would have done the same but he didn't have his wand at the moment so he settled for glaring daggers at the Potions Master. Even Remus, who was probably the most calm-headed person of the group, was growling menancingly, his eyes flashing amber and baring his teeth. Harry could see the wolf side of usually gentle man and now he knew why most wizards were so afraid of werewolves. Their other side was vicious, unforgiving and absolutely merciless when he felt slightest hint of threat of danger to him or his pack. Though Harry knew their anger wasn't directed to him, he had to suppress a flinch at their heated glares. He almost felt bad for everyone who hadn't treated him nicely as he was sure his family - and his friends, of course - would tear into them ruthlessly.

"It wasn't him." Harry quickly assured them, his lips twitching when he caught Snape relaxing so slightly that it was almost unnoticable. Unfortunately for him, the raven-haired teen did notice and he wasn't going to let him live it down for a while. Who knew the moody Potions Master was scared of his family? Well, his family consisted of a woman with fiery hair that matched her temper perfectly, three men who were the biggest troublemakers ever lived, one of them being a werewolf and two an animagus, a twin pranksters who never seemed to run out of prank ideas, the brightest witch of her age, the whole Weasley family with their infamous temper, shy Gryffindor who was not so shy when he was angry, and an odd Ravenclaw who might look harmless but had her own sort of ideas that the other people won't understand until it hit them, so he supposed it was a fair game. After all, even _he_ would be scared out of his mind if they came for him.

"Then who was it?" Neville frowned, lowering his hand. He was gnawing on his nails as he recalled that particular event. It really wasn't a pleasant one and he was a bit annoyed that he didn't notice someone was jinxing Harry's broom. Granted, he was covering his eyes and whimpering - and could you blame him? Harry was inches away from falling to death and the only thing that prevented that was an out of control broom that was doing its best to throw its rider off - but still. It seemed that he was the only one missing all the details. Hell, the other three knew about the trapdoor the Cerberus was guarding while he had no clue. But he supposed it didn't matter as he wouldn't have went to their adventures either way.

The Golden Trio exchanged looks, then opened their mouth simultaneously to reply. "Not telling."

"Somehow, I already guessed that." Neville muttered, rolling his eyes. "Not spoiling the book and all that stuff, yeah?"

* * *

_**[Page 204 - Hermione had fought her way across to the stand where Snape stood...she didn't even stop to say sorry as she knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front]**_

Hermione gasped, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. "Oh! So that's why the broom stopped! I was wondering about that for quite a while."

"I second that." Ron agreed, shivering as his imagination conjured up an image of first year Harry falling, much like he had in their third year. "Merlin knows what would have happened if you didn't barrel into him."

"But couldn't you have hit him harder? Then his dreadful turban would have been knocked over and everyone could have seen Voldemort's face stuck at his back. We wouldn't have got into ninety percent of troubles we had!" Harry said wistfully then suddenly snickered. "Can you imagine people's faces when they see Voldemort's face staring right at them?"

Ron snorted. "I think Quirrell's face would be more amusing when that happens. Heck, even You-Know-Who's face would be funny. Just think, he was resting quite peacefully," Harry barked out a laugh as he imagined Voldemort snoring away inside the turban while Quirrell nervously teached the class, stammering everytime the Dark Lord at his back snored or twitched. Huh, so maybe that was why that man stuttered so much. "and out of no where, light shines on his face and the whole crowd are watching him with wide eyes. He'll be completely bewildered and flustered. Man, you really should have pushed Quirrell harder, Hermione."

"Well I'm sorry that I was so busy trying to save Harry that the thought of pushing my DADA Professor never crossed my mind." Hermione said sarcastically, but she, too, was grinning, amusement glinting in her eyes. "Besides, I think Quirrell would have set up some kind of charm to prevent such thing from happening. I mean, it is rather risky to have only a mere cotton to hide Voldemort's presence, don't you think?"

This time, Harry burst into laughter that had some people fear for his sanity. "Oh my gods, do you think he used a _sticking charm _for that?" Ron followed his lead, doubling over in his laughter. "Merlin, the only thing that stopped You-Know-Who getting found out was a bloody sticking charm. Who would have guessed?"

"You boys are insane." Hermione shook her head, but giggled along with them, not noticing the weird looks the others were sending them. Harry grinned cockily, his eyes shining brightly. "Can you blame us? I mean, Voldemort used a _sticking charm_ to hide. How ungraceful is that?" Harry then blinked, shocked. "Hey! You didn't flinch!"

"Oh, you mean when you said You-Know-Who's name?" Ron asked, arcing his eyebrow. "You do realize you two were throwing his name around like candy, right? You guys said his name, like, dozens of times during the last few minutes and it is very exhausting to flinch every time I hear it."

"That's great! Now we just have to work in on saying his name and you won't have that ridiculous fear of yours. I mean, really? Why are you even scared of the name, 'Voldemort', anyways? That literally means 'flight of death' in french while his followers are Death Eaters. Honestly, his servants eat death while the leader is scared of death. Hey, then does that make Death Eaters braver than Voldemort?" Harry cocked his head to the side, musing. "Huh, I'm definitely using that to rile him up the next time I see him."

"Really, Harry? You are thinking about how to anger one of the most powerful wizard who, if I might add, is actively trying to _kill_ you?"

"What? He gets distracted easily when I talk and that way I can stall for time. How did you think I survived?"

"Seriously? You survived the encounters with one of the most feared Dark Lord by _talking_ to him?"

"That and shooting some spells. He and his black robe loving servants can be rather wand-happy, you know."

"You are mental, Harry."

"Well, what does that say to you two who always hang out with me, then?"

Lily stared at the three bickering Gryffindors warily, not sure what to think about their conversation. "Um, do I have to be worried that they seemed to be making fun of Voldemort?"

"What was their conversation about?" Remus frowned in worry, as well as Sirius and James. Their concern deepened when Lily answered them. "It started off with something about pushing their DADA Professor, his turban, Voldemort and ended with how Harry might be insane. Is that normal?"

"It's not normal for most people but normal for them." Neville assured them but it didn't do much to make them relax. In fact, it only agitated them even further. "Don't take anything they say too seriously. Most of the time it's an inside joke and they don't really mean any insults they throw at each other. Trust me, it we'll do you better if you just pretend you didn't hear their conversation. I swear, people will get heart attacks just by listening to them."

"Agreed." Sirius muttered, staring at the empty vials that once contained Calming Draught with longing. "What kind of kid meets a bloody _Basilisk_ when he's in a school that's supposed to be the safest place on _Earth?"_

"Right." James said weakly, shaking his head. Oh, why did he drink all those blessed potions? He should have saved some for situation like this. He just came back from dead for Merlin's sake and now he didn't think he could survive listening to his son's life. How come listening to his own _son's_ school life was as deadly as getting cursed by _Voldemort?_ "I think I'm good with ignoring part."

* * *

_**[Page 205 - Bright blue flames shot from her wand on to the hem of Snape's robes]**_

Hermione, her face doing a great imitation of a tomato, ducked down to hide behind Harry, using him as a human shield to block everyone's gaze on her. Unfortunately for her, it didn't work.

"You did _what?!"_ Fred's mouth was hanging open as he openly gawked at the Gryffindor, staring at her as if she said she was one of the Marauders. George continued as Fred was currently incapable of forming a sentence, his mouth opening and closing like a fish but with no comprehensible word coming out. "You, the two goody shoes who never - and I mean _never_ \- disobeys professors and a shining example of a perfect student, set a fire on _professor's robe_?" His voice steadily rose during his speech and at the end, his voice was an octave higher than usual, his wide eyes showing exactly how much trouble he was having in believing that _Hermione Granger_, the model student who held utmost respect for the authorities - except for Umbridge and Fudge - had _deliberately_ tried that trick on her professor.

"I was trying to save Harry!" Hermione defended, once again hiding herself behind Harry's back with a squeak when Snape glared at her darkly. The said professor scowled as he thought back to that particular event. He had been desperately trying to buy Potter time for Lily's sake and when he had to spare few seconds for that trick the Gryffindor had used, he had been half-expecting to find the Gryffindor Seeker as a mere body on the Quidditch pitch. Thankfully, Quirrell had also lost his focus that time and Potter had been saved, but that incident had resulted in three annoying Gryffindors who couldn't keep their noses out of other people's buisness on his tail for the rest of the year. Needless to say, Snape had been _livid_ and it took all his will power to _not_ to strangle the first years or scare them so much that they wouldn't even _think_ of coming within five miles near him. At least those three had fairly good reasoning but it didn't make him feel any less irritated.

"I know it was a wrong thing to do, but can you honestly blame me? Harry was going to get killed for god's sake and I didn't have time to think clearly-"

"No, no, no. You are getting us all wrong. We are not trying to lecture you, Hermione, we are trying to _compliment_ you!"

"-and I didn't have time to get help so I - wait. You are _not_ going to lecture me?" Hermione stopped, looking at the widely grinning twins uncertainly. Clearly, she thought people would bombard her with scoldings about how wrong it was to set a fire on her professor. Especially since that professor was innocent and in fact, was trying to _save _Harry not the other way around.

"Who do you think we are? We think it was awesome! Wonderful! Absolutely fantastic! Fabulous! I don't know what were we thinking not including you in our pranks earlier. We would have caused so much chaos!" George crowed gleefully, looking like a kid about to open his christmas presents. Next to him, Fred looked like he was barely holding himself from crying. "Oh, why didn't we add you to out prank plan earlier? We could have caused so much trouble! You are going to be the best prankster ever! - Besides us and the Marauders, of course, but still the best!"

Hermione groaned and let her head fall on her hands. Harry patted her sympathetically as he knew, first-hand, just how annoying the chaos-loving twins could be when they started sprouting things about how much 'potential' they had and how it was their 'destiny' to become a prankster.

* * *

_**[Page 205 - he hit the pitch on all fours - coughed - and something gold fell into his hand]**_

"You nearly swallowed the Snitch?" James raised an eyebrow, looking disbelieving, amused and impressed at the same time. Harry smiled ruefully as he recalled his own disbelief when he spat the enchanced golden ball on his palm, bring victory to his team. "Yeah, I know it's hard to believe but I still caught the Snitch. Well, kinda since I caught it with my mouth but still, we won."

Sirius let out a bark of laughter, all trace of agitation gone as the book announced Harry landing on solid ground in one piece. Even Remus chuckled, his eyes crinkling in mirth as he listened to book-Harry being showered with praise and applaud, his tense muscles relaxing. "Well, that was certainly an interesting game. I don't think anyone can forget that particular Quidditch game. I know I won't."

Lily only managed a soft groan, one hand on her chest in effort to calm her frantically beating heart. Finally, her son was on the ground where he belonged, not in the air, hundreds of feet above the ground, doing terrifyingly dangerous stunts that she swore would give her handful of gray hairs. She really wasn't looking forward to listening to another match of Quidditch. That sport was dangerous and it should have been banned _years_ ago. Why on Earth was it allowed for the students - who were _kids,_ mind you, who didn't even finish their education yet. Not adults who were capable of saving themselves if they fell from the sky - to participate, anyways? It was held in the air with nothing to save you if you happen to fall with only some charmed twigs to keep you afloat. There were _Bludgers_ for god's sake and its whole purpose was to _knock down_ as many players as possible. How deadly was that? So maybe she was being a bit - okay, _a lot_ \- biased but could you blame her? Her son had almost _plummeted to his death_ because of this blasted sport and she was more than ready to strangle whoever invented Quidditch if just to blow off some steam.

"I really don't like Quidditch. Really, I hate it."

"Oh, don't be like that, Lils. I'm sure the whole life-threatening thing was a one-time occurrence." James looked around for confirmation only to find none. "...Maybe not. You know, I think I might agree on your opinion, Lily. Quidditch _can_ be dangerous."

"Excuse me but did I hear that right or is my ear deceiving me? Did I just hear _James Potter_ saying something against Quidditch? Quick, hide, people, run for your lives! The end of the world is coming!"

"Oh, shut it, Sirius, I know you agree with me. You were practically sobbing in fear when that crazed broom was trying to throw off Harry."

"I did _not!_ Stop talking about yourself, James. _You_ were the one who was crying, not me."

"Alright, boys. Let's just say Harry is not to go near a broom by himself and just leave it at that."

"What?! But _Mom-"_

"No, Harry. From now on, you are forbidden to go flying alone without any adults with you. My heart had way more stress than it is capable of handling and I would like to avoid any arguments if I can help it."

"...Are all mothers this scary when they aren't even yelling?"

"Trust me, mate, you haven't seen half of it."

* * *

**_[Page 207 - "You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel-" "Aha! So there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?"]_**

"How Slytherin of you, Potter." Draco drawled, expecting him to be outraged and shout that he was in no way like Slytherin but he was throughly surprised when instead of being angry, Harry only threw a cocky grin in his direction. "Why, thank you, Draco. How nice of you to compliment me. Forgive me for being surprised but it is not everyday occurrence that you say something nice about me, you know."

"Wait, you think being compared to Slytherin is a _compliment?_" Draco narrowed his eyes in confusion, honestly having no idea what made the raven-haired teen to say something like that.

"Well, Slytherins is your House, isn't it?" Harry blinked innocently, tilting his head to the side as he gazed at him. "You snakes are very proud of being a Slytherin and since you so generously included my humble presence amongst you, of course I think it's a compliment. Why wouldn't I? Or are you saying being a Slytherin is a bad thing?" At this, Harry gave a mock-gasp, mentally basking in triumph when the blonde turned into light shade of pink.

"Got beaten by a Gryffindor, Malfoy?" Theodore smirked, entertaining himself by watching the blonde Slytherin attempt to get back at the emerald-eyed teen who was lazily waving which seemed to infuriate him even more.

"Shut up, Nott." Draco said without any real heat, his lips turning upwards in reluctant amusement and tiny amount of respect. "I didn't expect Potter to be such a Slytherin. Who knew?"

"I don't know about you but I've already forseen it since the Sorting Hat considered putting him into our House." Blaise answered his hypothetical question with sarcasm, ignoring Draco rolling his eyes at him. "Shame on you, Draco. How could you lose a verbal match against a _Gryffindor?_ Oh, what would your father say?"

Blaise noticed his slip up as soon as those words left his mouth and Theodore glared disapprovingly at him but it was already late. Draco's eyes turned stormy as his lips set into thin line. Draco loved his family like no one else and he avoided disappointing them if he could help it. But since Voldemort's return, Malfoys were being pressured to give their son to the Dark Lord's service. The Malfoy senior was doing his best to prevent Draco getting the Dark Mark but he only succeeded in delaying the inevitable and angering the Dark Lord. He knew his father, as hard as he was trying to hide it, was secretly hoping he would choose to take the Dark Mark willingly. As painful it was to let the Dark Lord claim his son, it was better than seeing his family getting brutually tortured and killed in front of his very own eyes. So Draco knew he had to make a choice, and fast, lest his whole family suffer at the hands of Lord Voldemort and he was getting constantly stressed out because of that.

"I'm sorry, Draco. I didn't say that intentionally. It just slipped out."

"Yeah, I know. Don't worry about it." Draco waved him off but he still looked exhausted from his turmoil of emotions. But he quirked the corner of his mouth for the sake of his friends and changed the subject. "So Nicolas Flamel is somehow related to that little package the giant dog is guarding, huh? Do you have any idea who that might be?"

"Nope."

"No idea."

"Nicolas Flamel is a famous alchemist and only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone which can turn any metal into pure gold and create the Elixir of Life, which can mkae the drinker immortal." Daphne recalled, arcing an eyebrow perfectly when they turned to stare at her. "What? Granger isn't the only one to read books, you know. I, for one, read them to gain new knowledge which you sorely lack of."

Astoria let out a snort of amusement while the other three Slytherins ignored the not so subtle jibe at their lack of reading in favor of focusing on the new piece of information she had provided. "So that package must be the Philosopher's Stone!" Blaise exclaimed, looking intrigued. "Huh, that explains why it needs so much protections and why Dumbledore moved it to Hogwarts. Now I understand why that thief robbed Gringotts, heck, I also want it though I'm not as mad to actually attempt theft under the nose of the goblins."

"Could've fooled me." Theodore smirked as the dark skinned teen glowered at him. He ignored him altogether after a moment, which annoyed the other teen even more, and deliberated on another thought. "Wonder what Potter and his lackeys would do if they find about that."

"Probably charge head-first into danger without any self-preservation to save the bloody Stone from whoever tried, and no doubt will try again, to steal it." Draco groaned, scowling darkly. "Sure, they are bunch of mindless Gryffindors but don't they have any common sense at all or do they really have a death wish? Really, from the sheer amount of time they intentionally placed them into danger I think they actually _enjoy _life-threatening situations."

"If I hadn't known better, I would have thought you are worried about their well-being." Theodore teased, amused.

"Shut up, Nott. I just want to save myself from the horrible details about their tales that I'm sure is coming up."

"Nah, they couldn't have had so many incidents every year."

"Didn't you hear about that rumor about Potter battling a Basilisk in his second year? Apparently, he did it all alone without any adults near to help and nearly got killed for it."

"Don't forget about Sirius Black's escape in his third year. He broke into Hogwarts, didn't he? Knowing their luck, I'm pretty sure those three had an encounter with him."

"Not to mention the Tri-Wizard Champion during his fourth year. That year's got to be filled with surprises as there's the three tasks and the death of Cedric Diggory."

"...Right. Well, at least we get to hear what really did happen at the last task."

"Yeah, and hear all the gruesome observations he made. Potter is very descriptive in the book."

"...Damn. This is going to be a _long_ year."

* * *

**Hello, dear readers! Thank you so much about all of you who've read, reviewed, followed and favorited my story! I can't express how much I appreciate it. I couldn't upload this chapter as soon as I hoped to due to my computer going nuts but I made it longer than my usual updates for you lot. Hope it was up to your satisfaction but if not, don't be afraid to call out my mistakes so I can make it better.**

**As you might have already noticed, I added a reference on top of every reaction to make it easier to understand, thanks to Sturmundsterne's suggestion. I honestly have no idea why I hadn't thought of that before and I'm feeling rather silly.**

**So the Golden Trio are getting suspicious of Snape and the story is picking up. Do you want me to write a chapter where Harry and his family are having a mini Quidditch match during their break or another reading the chapter? Tell me what you want and I'll post that one up as soon as I can.**

**That's it for today, folks, and please read and review!**


	15. Quidditch Match

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

**Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone**

**Quidditch Match**

* * *

"So you ready for this?" James asked, his trademark goofy grin on his face.

"Hell yeah." Harry grinned in return, readying his trustworthy Firebolt to take off. Everyone smiled as they saw the father and son laughing happily beside each other, their bright mood easily effecting the others'. Harry and his family had gotten out to Hogwarts grounds as soon as Dumbledore announced it was lunch break and was out the door before Umbridge could voice her protest about letting them go. James demanded for Umbridge to return Harry, Fred and George's brooms and his expression clearly told her that he was ready to do anything until she gave in and would take pleasure in causing mayhem, leaving her with no choice but to give back the brooms to three delighted. Lily, Hermione and Remus had leviated a small portion of each plate along with them so they didn't skip their dinner and conjured up a picnic mat for all of them to sit on.

The two male Potters barely stopped for some bites and then proceeded to summon their brooms. James had to borrow Madam Hooch's - with her permission, of course. Even he knew better than steal the Quidditch-obsessed witch's broom - since he didn't have any but his whining about his son having a better broom than him died out after few minutes of coaxing from Lily("Yes, dear, his broom is the fastest but considering he's against _you_ I think it's only fair he used it, yes?).

"Three. Two. One. Go!" Yelled Sirius, loudly cheering as the two males shot off, testing each other's skills. The old broom's movement wasn't as smooth as the Firebolt but they could see how James was capable of overcoming that problem. Weasley family cheered along with them, though Mrs. Weasley was worriedly chewing her lower lip, her eyes tracking every move Harry made. Lily was gnawing on her fingernail, worried for her son's safety as well.

"You don't have to worry so much. If there's one thing Harry's good at it, it's Quidditch." Hermione reassured them, smiling softly. She was absolutely delighted that her friend would now have appropriate adult figures in his life, not just those horrid people who had abused him. The mere thought of Harry's relatives brought out her fury but she firmly pushed it aside. It would be no good if she let those horrible people effect her actions when they weren't even near her. "I'm sure they'll be fine. Besides, we're all here if something happens."

"Yeah, Mom. Harry's the best on the broom - not that I'm saying he's bad without it, but anyways. You do remember the stunt Harry pulled with that dragon, don't you? Compared to that, this is a piece of cake." Ron waved their concern off, biting off a mouthful of chicken leg but froze when he realized the stares of Lily fixed on him and facepalming of his friends. "I shouldn't have said that. Oops."

"You think?" Neville deadpanned, Luna letting out a small giggle of amusement.

"He, he did _what?"_ Lily shrieked, her breathing speeding up. Mrs. Weasley tried to calm her down with no luck. Ron winced, backing off slowly. "Sorry. Um, I was just exaggerating?"

"Ugh, Ron. Really?" Ginny threw him a look at her brother and tried to soothe hysterical mother. "Don't worry, Mrs. Potter. He came out unscathed - well, mostly anyways. But he really is fine, nothing fatal, I swear."

"Right." Lily closed her eyes, her face weary. Her voice shook slightly but she managed to compose herself. "Just exactly _what_ was he doing on a broom near a _dragon?"_

"Well, long story short, he was selected as one of the champions for the Triwizard Tournament and one of the tasks were to get the golden egg from the dragon's nest. So Harry decided to use one of his strongest skills, flying, and flew around, got the egg, and got good scores." Neville recounted, trying to make it sound that riding a highly flamable wooden broom near fire breathing dragon happened all the time and wasn't anything serious. He did surprisingly good job on it, if the situation he was trying to sugarcoat wasn't so dangerous. Lily rubbed her eyes, resigned to the fact that his son apparently had the awful tendency to draw troubles onto him like moths to the light. "Well, I suppose I should be just glad he's alive and in one piece."

"It does make it easier if you just focus on the fact that he's alive and well, and that he's with us." Remus agreed, sitting next to her. Lily leaned into him without really thinking about it, and sighed when Remus ran his hand through her hair. The gesture used to calm both of them, whenever they were left alone during the war with both James and Sirius, who were Aurors, gone to fend off some Death Eater raid. They would sit near fireplace, worry for the duo nearly driving them crazy, but they would murmur assurance to each other and bask comfort from the warmth from fire and each other. When the two finally stumbled into the house, dirty and bone-tired with numerous cuts all over them but otherwise fine, they'll quickly fuss over them, chiding about their stupidity of being so reckless in the battle or just laughing from relief that they were okay, that they had come back to them. Then they would all laugh because they were together, one big happy family, and during that time they could forget about the war raging on even then, about Voldemort and his followers, about the dark fate that was scuttling around the shadows, watching, ready to strike and rip them apart. The simple gesture brought back many memories of the war, and emotions, fear, desperation, horror and relief, and Lily was a bit overwhelmed.

"I'm so glad we are back together." Lily murmured softly, barely above whisper, but she knew Remus heard her from the slight tightening of his grip on her shoulder.

"Me, too." Remus replied, knowing exactly what she was thinking. "And I swear I will never let anything seperate us now. Not a treacherous rat or even You-Know-Who himself."

"Don't make promises that you can't keep." Lily smiled, her eyes suspiciously bright. "After all, James and I were dead. How do you know if we'll return to being dead after finishing the books?"

"You _were_ dead." Remus corrected her firmly. "You are not _now._ Come on, don't talk like that, Lily. Where's the strong, stubborn woman I know? Besides," He lowered his voice, glancing around to make sure none of the others were eavesdropping on them. "You can't die. For Harry. He'll be absolutely _crushed_ if he sees you die after finally having chance to meet his parents."

"Yes, I know." Lily bit her lip, agitated at the thought of her son in pain, be it physical or emotional. "But you can't just ignore the possibility that we will-"

"Hey, you lovebirds!"

Startled, their gaze snapped up to find Sirius grinning and waving madly at them. He was also flying on a broom - Remus could only pray he didn't steal it - and he was clearly relishing the freedom of flying. "What are you two whispering to yourselves about? Do I need to warn James?" Sirius wriggled his eyebrow at them suggestively, making Lily snort inelegantly and Remus roll his eyes. "Well, come on! Don't you want to watch father and son battling each other?"

Dark thoughts set aside for later, they turned their gaze upwards to find the two Potters soaring leisurely in the air, their eyes bright with mirth. Sirius cheered loudly along with the Weasleys and Ron was picked to set up a route for the game, which he accepted enthusiastically. Around them, the students who had already finished their dinner had gathered around to watch the match with interest and some had took a leaf out of their book and brought their dinner with them. Even some professors had come out to see the newest entertainment and were in the process of conjuring up cushions and blankets for the students.

"Alright!" Ron's voice echoed throughout the whole ground with the help of amplifying charm, and it was like the Triwizard Tournament all over again, with students and professors alike assembled to observe a competition, but the atmosphere was much lighter since the task much more safer. "Here's what you have to do. You'll start from here and go around the West Tower over there. The first one to arrive and grab this," he gestured at the winged golden ball that looked like a bigger version of Snitch fluttering above his head. "Wins. Got that? Good. You two ready?" Ron received two grins that were eerily same which was understandable considering how they looked so much alike. "On the count of three. Three. Two. One. _Go!"_

The duo shot off like a bullet, leaving only wind and dust behind them. Thunderous applaud echoed in the air as the crowd whooped and cheered in open admiration at their flying skill and even the ones who had outright antagonized Harry during the past few months had to reluctantly agree their flying was literally flawless.

At some point, Luna had put on her infamous lion hat, which was doing a good job scaring people around her by letting out a realistic roar. Per request, Hermione conjured up some flags painted red and gold with 'Potter rules!' written in sparkly purple. Sirius had covered his face in red and gold that was so bright that it hurt to just look at him and waved the flag so wildly that threatened to punch someone in the face. Due to his lack of wand, he had convinced Ginny to jinx the hair of Remus into red much to irritation of the werewolf and bemusement of others. Lily, Hermione and Neville had politely rejected the twin's offer to have them covered in Gryffindor color head to toe like they did and entertained themselves by observing people around them as well as the two figures racing each other above them. Luna, being her cheerful-self as always, had given the Potters flag to her hat, which was munching on it happily. All in all, it was the best day they have ever had and was enjoying themselves greatly.

* * *

Harry could feel his heart beating fiercely as adrenalin pumped through his vein. He was aware of every twitch his broom made and every sliver of wind breezing through his hair thanks to the thrill of being airborne again. He vaguely heard a roar and when he glimpsed behind him, he could see that someone - he was willing to bet it was Sirius or the twins or most likely both of them - had turned the entire ground into the Gryffindor's color. From what he gathered, their small friendly match had turned into a festival with people cheering, yelling, eating, and one of them was even doing this ridiculous dance; that was definitely Sirius.

Turning his gaze back forward, Harry glanced at his left where his dad - he still couldn't believe his parents were back and they were actually flying next to each other - was slicing through the air. He caught him looking and gave him a playful salute which he returned with a grin. They were closing onto the West Tower now and they both knew steering the broom far enough the tower so they don't crash but close enough so they turn as fast as possible was the key to victory. Turning his full concentration on the task, Harry looked at the fast approaching tower with calculative eyes. In sync, they turned sharply, barely avoiding running face-first into the solid tower. Harry placed all of his weight towards the tower to make the sharp turn as quick as possible and felt rush of excitement as they directed their brooms back towards the crowd, urging it to go faster and faster. Predictably, Firebolt slowly placed distance between its opponent but their competitor didn't let that deter him and only pushed the broom more in effort to gain on Harry.

The makeshift of Snitch zoomed around people's head and while it wasn't slow, it was ridiculously easy to spot compared to the size of the real Snitch. Flattening themselves so they would receive as small wind resistance as possible, they both reached out, their eyes locked firmly onto their target, but Harry could tell he was going to lose because the enchanted ball was going further away from him, thus placing itself directly into James's path.

Biting his lower lip, Harry quickly reviewed his options. While it was true that he had the fastest broom, his dad had years of more experience than him and Madam Hooch's broom wasn't slowing down anytime soon. He couldn't grab it without falling out of his broom because of the distance, which only left doing a little trick that might enrage his friends into chaining him to the ground for a few months. Ah, well. He always had competitive streak in him.

Mentally cursing himself for being so reckless - contrary to many belief, he wasn't actively trying to kill himself or give people heart attacks and he certainly didn't enjoy almost dying - he steeled his resolve and _stood_. Actually stood on a trimmed wood flying one hundred and fifty miles per hour, balanced with only his feet without any backup plan whatsoever should he fall. All in all, he had to admit this was one of his worst ideas_ ever_. The wind that kept hitting him back made him wobble unsteadily but he put every ounce of his concentration on the little ball in front of him. Dimly, he thought he heard someone scream beneath him but he didn't dare lose his focus. He rather liked being able to operate every limb and he wouldn't be granted that luxury if he managed to break every bone.

A single deep breath and he lunged forward, his fingers closing around the golden ball as his feet gave him extra boost for jump. For a second, Harry was airborne until gravity pulled him to the ground. Instead of allowing himself to panic, he caught the frame of Firebolt and using he motion to his advantage, succeeded in swinging himself up, safely seated with Snitch in his hand. Letting out a disbelieving laugh - he honestly didn't think he could pull this off without some sort of injury - he turned around, only to face dozens of stark white face and wide eyes.

His manic grin faltered and the only thing that ran through his mind was,_ shit, I'm_ so _screwed_.

* * *

James swore his heart stopped just right then and there when his son stood - actually fucking _stood_ on his broom while he was still _flying _for Merlin's sake. He heard several people scream and he honestly couldn't blame them. He would have screamed as well if not for this crushing dread that numbed his mind and body. Really, one second he was enjoying the race wtih his son and the next second, he was pushing the broom beyong its limit to go _faster and faster_ because that was his _son_ who was only _millimeters_ away from plummeting to his death and he had to catch him in time and Merlin, he was purposefully _throwing himself off his broom_ and _whatthehellishedoing?_

He could only watch, transfixed, as Harry did his little stunt could have _ended his life_ and while part of his Quidditch-obsessed mind went wild with excitement of the difficult trick his son just did, the rest of his mind was screaming at him to _move_ and _check on his son for Merlin's sake_. Without even registering what he was doing, James was beside his son in flash, words flowing out of his mouth in unintelligent babble as his hand flew over him for any bruise, cuts, _anything_ only to find none. The pure relief of realizing that Harry was okay drained every ounce of energy and he let out a breath that he didn't even know he was holding. Then with refound energy as he recalled he had jumped off _willingly,_ he firmly grasped Harry's arm - but not too tightly in fear of hurting him - and descended slowly towards the ground and he only released his grip when their feet touched the ground softly. Even then he stood right beside the nervous looking teen, his mind swirling with so many emotions that he had absolutely no idea what he should do or say. But of course, just because he didn't know didn't mean the others were as well.

_"Harry James Potter!"_

Lily, her eyes flashing dangerously that indicated no one should mess with her unless they wanted to say farewell to the world, stalked forward, utter fury literally radiating from her. Even though he knew her anger wasn't directed at him - well, maybe a little bit since he _was _the one who dragged them off to do this - but he couldn't help but cringe as she stormed closer to them. He couldn't recall the time that she had been this enraged since he and Sirius was caught in the act of bewitching her entire clothes. It had been an accident, honestly. They just pulled out a drawer which contained Lily's underwear - they were completely flustered and they swore up and down that it hadn't been intentional - and was hurriedly putting it back in when the said woman came in. Of course, the two pranksters had been sore for _weeks _and jumped everytime they saw someone with red hair. They also had developed nasty case of phobia of birds - they still didn't know what kind of enchantment Lily had casted that made every winged mammal within five miles of radius attack them. They couldn't use the post owls for months - that they managed to overcome with Remus's help though that infuriating bastard never stopped smiling like he was _enjoying_ the whole situation; which he probably was.

"How _dare_ you to think that you can just go off and do whatever you want that could have _killed_ you. Do you even know how _terrified_ I was, seeing you witlessly risk your _life_ for winning some insignificant _game?"_ Lily stopped to take a breath, pacing relentlessly to show her agitation. "You are in big trouble, young man. I'm really disappointed in you."

The last sentence, said so carelessly, had great effect on Harry. He took her rage in silence, head hung low and his body tight in tension. But as soon as the words tumbled out of Lily's mouth, Harry flinched violently despite his clear effort to suppress it and visibly shrunk into himself. Immediately noticing the mood change, Lily stepped closer to Harry, eyes wide and ready to do anything to ease her little boy. But after only half a step forward, she froze as if she had been burned when the raven haired teen cringed and moved away from her. She exchanged glances with James but he, too, was clueless how he should act and could only watch his son helplessly. His black locks obscured his eyes from their vision and to their alarm, they could detect the slight trembling and a occasional hitch of breath that wrecked his thin frame.

"Harry?"

A small, tentative question, barely above whisper, but it was enough to snap the teen out of his trans-like state and start apologizing furiously. James noted with dull horror that his emerald eyes that were usually bright with joy was now wild and a hint of fear and desperation residing in it. His posture was rigid, ready to bolt at any notice and what terrified him the most was how Harry seemed to be afraid of _them._ He was staring at them, his eyes taking in every move they made, stepping backwards without even registering it.

"I-I'm so sorry. I swear I won't do it again, I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to, I swear. I promise I'll never do it, please, don't be ashamed of me. I-I'll do anything, please, I swear. Don't be angry at me, _please."_

Everyone stood deathly still, none daring to break the silence that fell upon them as they registered the awful implication behind the pleading. White-faced, Harry stood in the middle, shaking and barely looking like he was capable of standing by himself, but he stood still, watching his family intently. Knowing that any wrong movement Harry would shut himself out faster than they could blink, they remained motionless, desperately searching their mind for something to comfort clearly hyperventilating teen but coming up with none.

James clenched his fist tightly, dismayed that Harry believed they would shun him so easily, afraid he would shut them out and angry at Dursleys for causing Harry to believe that in the first place. Unfortunately, Harry took this gesture the wrong way and took an instinctive step back. Hurriedly, James unclenched his hand, placing them beside his head to show that he wasn't going to hit him. It was obvious that they had to do something unless they wanted Harry to believe they were angry at him but everyone were afraid they would do more harm than good. Helplessly, he glanced at Sirius and Remus who looked as clueless as him, despair shown on their faces. Harry's friends were also out as they watched with concern, petrified with horror as their friend went into emotional breakdown. Finally, James turned to look at Lily for help as he was certain she, if not exactly know what to do, would still be the best choice to comfort the distressed teen. Understanding what he was thinking, she bit her lower lip but took a small step forward, hands raised in a placating manner.

"Harry?" Harry startled, and it broke her heart to see his son look at her with so much fear in his eyes and she could feel pure fury boiling inside her, ready to explode any minute. But while she wanted nothing but to curse Fate for condemning her son to such life, she also felt bitter and all torn up that it was her own sister and her family who had abused him. Sure, she knew Petunia resented her but only now she realized the hatred was so deep that she would intentionally hurt her own nephew. Lily couldn't help but blame herself for that. She hadn't tried her best to repair their relationship and her son had to pay the price. Petunia wouldn't have let anyone harm Harry if they were still close like when they were younger, that she was sure of. But there was no point in swelling on the past. She couldn't fix the past but she could fix the present and she would be damned if she didn't try her best to give her son the happiness he deserves. "Hey, we're not going to hurt you, okay?"

"I,I-" Harry gulped, his eyes darting everywhere as if he was searching for an escape route. "I'm sorry. I-I won't do it again."

"Oh, Harry." Lily murmured, reaching out slowly and when he didn't move away from the gesture, she caressed his cheek softly. She could feel the tension in his body but his muscles gradually began to unknot and relax into the touch. "We're not disappointed in you, sweetie. I wasn't thinking clearly because I was so afraid that I might lose you or see you get injured. But I didn't mean it, I promise. I'm so sorry, Harry."

"You-you are not...ashamed of me?" It was whispered almost silently but thanks to the utter silence in the area and the close distance, Lily heard it. She smiled gently, kissing the top of his head tenderly. "Of course not, sweetie. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me."

With that, all tension drained out of him, and Harry slumped into his mother's warm embrace. Lily embraced him tightly, murmuring promises that they would never abandon him while placing a kiss between reassurances. She tactfully ignored occasional hitch of breath and soft sobs and just hugged him firmly, assuring him that she was there with him and she wasn't going anywhere.

James chose that moment to step in and embraced the two, relieved beyond belief that Harry wasn't shying away from them now. He stiffened slightly from the unexpected touch but soon relaxed when he saw who it was. One by one, all of Harry's family by all but blood joined the group hug and Harry closed his eyes, relishing every second with his loved ones. It had been so long since he felt so relaxed, so _loved. _Right now, he felt at peace without the threat of war looming over the horizon and the danger of death by Voldemort hanging over his head. All was calm and well until...

"Hem, hem."

Harry instantly tensed, the temporary silence broken by the throaty cough from a certain pink witch who made her life goal to make his life as miserable as possible. Sensing his anxiety, the group formed a protective circle around the teen, James tucking him behind his back to shield him from the said-witch.

"What do you want?" Sirius snarled, warning clear in his posture. Remus growled next to him, while Harry's friends shot heated glares to everyone who were gawking, open-mouthed at them. Harry's face burned with humiliation as he realized the whole crowd had watched him break down. He casted his gaze downwards, unwilling to meet anyone's eyes but Ron placed a firm hand on his shoulder, glaring darkly at people around them.

"I was going to ask you the same thing." Umbridge smiled sweetly, her gaze flickering to the half-hidden form of Harry. He nearly cringed at the glee and hunger in her eyes but Lily stepped in to block her view. Her vibrant emerald eyes were burning holes into the short witch and if looks could kill, she would have been dead ten times over by now.

"That's none of your business." She hissed, her fiery temper barely being restrained. Umbridge stubbornly refused to be intimidated and did not back up though it was obvious to everyone that one should stay the hell out of her way if they wanted to live. The pink-loving woman smiled again, her ever-present clipboard ready in her hands as she scribbled furiously on it. Harry could only dread what kind of faults she had and will find that she would use against him. He could imagine the headline that would fill the first page of _Daily Prophet_ tomorrow. _Harry Potter, Mentally unstable? Yesterday, Harry Potter was sighted to show signs of mental illness. Experts are currently discussing whether he is safe enough to be left alone amongst our children. _"And don't you even _dare_ think about releasing any rumor of this or you'll live to regret it."

"Are you _threatening_ me Mrs. Potter?" She drew herself to full height - which, sadly, wasn't much - as her eyebrow twitched to show her irritation. Lily smiled coldly, gazing down at her as if she was an annoying fly that she would love to get rid of and she didn't even know why she was still talking to her. "If you perceive it as such, yes, Mrs. Umbridge I am threatening you. Now if you'll excuse us, we have more important things to do."

She promptly shoved her way past the shell shocked witch, James smiling smugly and unspoken _that's my girl _was obvious. The group trudged along after the red-haired woman and Harry was content with the whole situation, surrounded by his family, but he still couldn't get rid of the sinking feeling as he worried about what Umbridge would throw at him next. That was until his dad yelled over his shoulder.

"Oh, and if I even hear a whisper of my son being mentally disturbed or whatever from now on, I will personally make sure you are throughly used that nothing will be left after me and my family's goblin manager are done with you. That includes all of you, by he way. Have a nice dream!"

He finished cheerfully, Sirius's bark of laughter following his announcement. Remus shook his head ruefully at his friend's antics but made no move to scold him for his actions. Ron slung an arm over Harry's shoulder while Hermione took his hand and the rest of them walked besides them, chatting amicably. All of his worry were blown away into the wind and he didn't even feel embarrassed anymore. Well, not completely, but after that incident, he was fairly certain he could deal with weird looks he was sure to receive with his family by his side. All in all, it was a very good day in Harry's opinion.

* * *

**Hello my wonderful readers! I'm so sorry it had taken so long and I didn't even give you a reading chapter like some of you would have been hoping for. It's just that life is getting into a frenzy and I didn't have enough time to write. But I promise I will return with a (hopefully) nice and long chapter next time.**

**So poor Harry had gotten into quite emotional breakdown and unfortunately for him everyone witnessed it. I wanted to see how the time with the Dursleys who constantly says how he's worthless and is a disappointment would have effected Harry and how Harry's family would react to it. I'm not happy with this chapter though because it seems quite rushed, so I'm sorry if you feel the same way.**

**Well, that's it for today. How was it? Tell me what your thoughts are and if you have any ideas on pranks on the Dursleys and Umbridge, let me know. Although the Dursleys had been pranked before, they are not off the hook yet and it would be obvious to everyone why Umbridge is their next target.**

**Today is Christmas! Did you have a great time? Hopefully you had a wonderful time with your family and friends. Since this will probably be the last update I'll do this year, I'll say the greeting now. Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year!**


	16. The Mirror of Erised

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

**Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone**

**The Mirror of Erised**

* * *

"I told you, this is unacceptable!" James hissed, his eyes blazing in anger. "I will not tolerate that pink toad or anyone, for that matter, spreading around ridiculous rumor about my son and I will not hesitate to force every reporters alive on this planet to never write a word against him if I have to. From now on, no one, and I mean _no one_, will outright antagonize my son just because he was speaking the truth that the headless chickens that call themselves our Ministry doesn't like."

"But you must understand, James, the world is _afraid_ and not ready to accept that the Dark Lord had returned. Surely you understand this fear." Dumbledore calmly interjected, trying to reason with the agitated man. However, it only infuriated him even more, causing him to pace furiously in front of the desk and running a hand though his hair, his dark locks sticking out even more as if answering to his dark mood. The members of the Order, who were gathered around the Headmaster's table, watched the dark-haired man as he spit out words in anger.

"Of course I do. Who wouldn't be scared shitless when they hear the most powerful Dark wizard had returned from the dead? But what I do _not_ understand is why on bloody hell aren't they trying to prepare for the upcoming war so they would have more fucking chance of _staying alive. _But no, instead they stick their heads into sand and pretend everything is good because that would give them a temporary peace while Voldemort's out there recruiting his forces and all the Ministry does is coming up with these plain idiotic explanations of these so-called _accidents_ and throwing insults at my _son_."

His voice had steadily risen during the rant, only calming slightly when Lily placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Forcing himself to calm down, James pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers, breathing deeply into his nose. "Just tell me why I can't _persuade_ people so they would at least back off from Harry. He had enough crap thrown in his way, don't you think he deserves a little break?"

His voice wavered slightly at the end as he recalled how many dangers his little boy, barely a year old before he was cruelly ripped away from his parents, had to go through especially during his childhood. Right from the moment the little guy focused his big green eyes on him and garbled out incoherent noises, giggling all the while, he had vowed to himself to give him the best childhood. He had fantasied every toys, every affection he and Lily would shower him with and when they miraculously came back from the dead, they had learned their son's life wasn't even _close_ to what they dreamed of. Now those Ministry idiots were ruining their chance to give him the love he deserves and James wasn't going to stand for it. He would take over Fudge's position if he had to but he was not going to just stand there while they ruthlessly step on his son's name.

"We told you, James. While we also do not like the Ministry slandering Harry and the Headmaster, Fudge is determined to make the public view them as nothing more than a two mentally unstable people who needs to be isolated from others and he won't allow you to go against him." Professor McGonagall said patiently, gazing sympathetically at her former student. James scowled and the Transfiguration Professor mentally sighed, knowing how stubborn he could be. "Who said I needed that idiot's permission? I do what I want and bunch of idiots who can't figure out what's true and what's not to save their life would have no chance of stopping me."

"We have no doubt you would ignore direct forbiddance from the Minister himself." Moody replied gruffly, his magical eye spinning around wildly for intruders as usual. "But Fudge won't be staying still as you attack him. What would you do if he announces Harry Potter needs to go back to the Dursleys every summer and he is forbidden to spend time with you? You've seen how temperamental Potter's relatives are and I wouldn't want to try how far their punishments would go with your son's well being at risk. Those muggles hate Potter. What would they do if they are left alone with the boy for the entire summer after this fiasco finishes? They would be blaming him for them coming here against their will and that prank Potter's friends pulled and I don't think any of you want to find out what their punishment for this would be."

A tense, horrified silence settled in the room as they thought about what the ex-auror just said. The Dursleys had no problem locking up a boy in a cupboard, giving him endless chores as soon as he was old enough to do it and starving him. What _would_ they do if they were left only by themselves? All of them were looking aghast at the mere thought but it was nothing compared to the Potters, Weasleys, Sirius and Remus. James stood rooted to the spot, pale and sucking in harsh breaths as his tightly clenched fists shook with strain. Lily covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes blown wide as she turned into stark white color. Her imagination ran wild as it conjured up images after images of what her sister's family might do to Harry, her thoughts getting darker as it proceeded. Mrs. Weasley had to be supported by her husband as they both feared for their honorary son, desperately searching their minds for a way to save the emerald-eyed teen from such fate. Sirius was standing rigidly still, a low whine of distress making itself known as he trembled in rage and fear while Remus stood by his side, also stuff and deep, animalistic growl vibrating from his chest.

"I am _not_ allowing that to happen." Surprisingly, it was Lily who recovered first, her eyes narrowed into slits and flashing dangerously. "I don't care what I have to do. I don't trust Petunia and her family with my son and he is never going back with them ever again." She declared, swallowing a hollow pain in her chest at the realization that she wouldn't be able to trust her own sister again, at least not fully. James squeezed her hand reassuringly, knowing how hard it must have been for her to admit that aloud. She suddenly felt exhausted, angry and frustrated that his son had to go through this. "How fast can we gain guardianship of Harry? Why do we even need those anyways? We are his _parents_ for Merlin's sake!"

"Parents who had been dead for fifteen years." Moody, as blunt as ever, retorted, ignoring their flinches. "During that time the Dursleys were Potter's legal guardian and I don't think Fudge would be eager to change that."

"But surely he wouldn't dare to place him back with the clear signs of abuse." Tonks exclaimed, scandalized. "Even he has to see that this is beyond unacceptable. Surely there are laws against such action."

"It isn't often that a wizarding family abuses their magical child - why would they, when they are just thankful that their child is born with magical ability and not a squib? - so I'm afraid there are no specific laws for this kind of situation. Plus, Lily and James are still dead for all muggles know and they are going to ask some questions if Harry is taken by two mysterious individuals that just popped into existence. Fudge won't let Harry go out of his control and would do everything within his power to separate you." Dumbledore answered gravely, his blue eyes darkened with solemnity.

"So what? We'll just have to be a good boy and let the Dursleys take away Harry?" Sirius growled, looking every inch like a murderer he was accused of being. The Headmaster was unfazed by the hostility and gazed calmly at the animagus. "No. We will do our best to help Lily and James regain their guardianship but there is another major problem we have to be aware of. Severus, if you will?"

The Potions Master, who had been silent since the start of the meeting, stepped forward, his drawl filling the room. "Although Umbridge is monitoring the letters to keep out any unwanted information leaking out to the public, it is only a matter of time before she finds a big enough trouble Potter had gotten into that she would use against him. Sooner or later, it would be in the _Daily Prophet _and the Dark Lord would hear of it. I do not know if he would dismiss it unimportant and continue his attempt at the theft of the prophecy or turn to the book, seeking to find out the future. Either way, we have to be ready or our side would have no chance against his force."

Normally, James or Sirius would have retorted an insult such as, "and which side are you?", but due to the seriousness of the situation, they stayed silent, choosing to mull over the information instead. Lily tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear, meeting her childhood's friend's eyes squarely much to his discomfort, though no emotions were visible. She, too, looked uncomfortable but she flashed him a brief smile then turned to Dumbledore.

"So Voldemort's going to come after Harry, yes?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Well, then. Since there is no stopping the inevitable, I want Harry to have the biggest chance of winning the war and he can't have that if he doesn't know how to fight. So I want him to be trained." There were outbursts of protests that he was far too young to be burdened with such thing but she managed to silence them all with a single glare. "Voldemort's coming after him no matter what and though I hate this and want him to have a happy life, he might not even be _alive_ if he doesn't know how to defend himself. I'm not saying he should be placed amongst us against the Death Eaters, I just want him to know how to at least survive when attacked."

"I agree." James squared his shoulders, daring them to object. "As much as I would like to, we can't stay with him everywhere he goes so he should at least know the basics of dueling and Death Eaters aren't going to drop dead, amazed at his skill of turning a beetle into a button. No offense." He added, the Transfiguration Professor nodding in acceptance. "I also want to know every information about what Voldemort and his cronies have been up to since we were...away." James finished lamly, still having difficulty in believing he and Lily had been _dead_ and came back. Not that he was complaining of course but it still didn't make it any less weirder.

"I'll see what I can do." Dumbledore let out a heavy sigh, for once looking like his age. "Tonks, Kinsley and Arthur, try to see if you can get the forms on guardianship. Severus, update me on Voldemort's next move. The rest of you, keep an eye out for trouble and you," at this he gazed intently at Lily, James, Sirius and Remus. "Do take care of Harry."

"Of course." They answered, nodding their acceptance. He smiled, tipping his head forward in acknowledgement. "Well, then. Until the next meeting."

* * *

_"Arrrrrgh!"_

Harry bolted upright when a strangled scream shattered a peaceful silence in the dormitory. Well, not exactly peaceful. A loud music was being played and Harry scrambled to pick up his glasses. After finding the said object, he turned around to find his best friend sprawled on the floor much to his amusement.

"Wipe that smug look off your face." Ron scowled, trying to get up only to fall again because of how his legs were tangled in his sheet. Grumbling darkly to himself, he started to pull the blanket off from his limbs while the other boys gradually woke up.

"What's the fuss about?" Neville stretched, wincing a bit when his joints cracked under pressure. When his groggy mind caught on the music, he cocked his head, figuring out the answer himself. "Ah. He woke you up, didn't he? He did that yesterday as well. Almost blew up my ear drums." He made a face at that, rubbing his ear as he recalled the unpleasant memory.

Harry snorted, helping the ginger-headed teen to get up from the tangled mess of blanket. Ron scowled, kicking off the offended sheet of cloth off him. "How the bloody hell did you lot not wake up immediately when that music played, anyways?"

"We had to adapt to your loud snores for four years now. That music is nothing compared to your sleeping habit." Harry grinned cheekily as he narrowly missed getting faceful of pillow from his hot-tempered friend. "Come on, Ron. You can't just sit there or Umbridge will put you in detention and take tons of points if we are even a milisecond late. I don't know about you but I'm not pushing my luck."

With a huff, Ron pushed himself up to his feet, heading towards the door, only realizing he was only wearing his blue, worn-out pyjama and barefoot when Neville stopped him. "Are you going to walk out like _that?"_

"Ugh!" With a disgruntled noise, he turned back to change his clothes, noticing the other two empty beds, its occupants missing. He pursed his lips as he thought of Dean and Seamus, especially the latter and his blatant accusations he threw at Harry, but didn't point it out. Even when his mind felt hazy from sleep he had enough tact to know bringing up the reminder of whole Wizarding World disregarding him as nothing more than an attention-seeking liar was _not_ a good idea. So instead, he got himself ready, complaining all the while about the 'pink toad with magic trying to ruin everyone's lives and more importantly their sleep' and how 'seven o'clock was too early for anyone to get up'. In the end, the two Gryffindors had to half-drag the ginger head so they weren't late for the reading.

"Good morning. Nargles will be very active today so you should keep all your precious belongings close to you lest it get stolen." Unsure how to answer that greeting, the three grinned at the Ravenclaw and thanked her for the friendly warning.

"What took you so long?" Hermione frowned, her plate already full of healthy food like people would expect from the daughter of dentists. Neville replied, reaching out for a pumpkin juice and a bowl of cereal. "Ron took _forever_ to get into his clothes in his half-asleep mind. I mean, he's slow when he's fully awake, imagine him trying to do complex stuff as changing into his clothes when he's not full conscious of what he's doing."

"Hey!" Ron smacked the teen's head, shooting him a dark look and giving out a half-hearted threat. But unlucky for him, the others burst into laughter and he had to spend the next several minutes arguing with his siblings to 'convince' them to stop teasing him but it was more like shouting abuse at each other as loudly as they could. Harry grinned, slightly uneasy as he thought about what happened yesterday. He had mentally prepared himself for the looks he would surely receive but it still stung when he caught their stares, like he was an animal caged in a zoo who was to be gawked at. As if sensing his dark thoughts, his parents approached him, smiling and to his uptmost relief, Harry didn't see a sliver of disgust or weirded out look he had half-expected to find. Instead, their eyes were filled with warmth and affection and however corny it may sound, Harry was so glad that his parents did not think of him any less, if not more.

"Heya, sport. Sleep well?" James tousled his hair, letting it stick out even more than before. Harry squawked in protest, anxiously patting it to tame it with no luck. Lily smiled at the two of them and ran her own hand through his hair to calm it down. "Good morning, dear. You know, I think this is the first time I saw you so happy in the morning. You are usually grumbling to yourself about being woken up so early."

"Can you blame me? No one should be up before nine. Sleep is essential for human!"

"Oh, please." Lily rolled her eyes, retorting sarcastically. "You sleep too much to be healthy."

"Sleep is important!"

"You can't even wake up before eleven if no one's there to force you."

Harry laughed as he watched his parents bicker back and forth playfully, much like how Ron, Hermione and himself argued. Due to his lack of attention to his surroundings, he missed his friends shooting death glares and threats to anyone who openly gaped at him. Since the word on the prank on the Dursleys were spread to everyone, with one warning look, students quickly turned away to stuff their faces with food, afraid what they would do to them if they thought they are harrassing Harry. Their prank was practically a legend by now and they shuddered to think what kind of creative prank they would come up with for their next victim. They were incredibly protective of the emerald-eyed teen. Sirius was more than happy to show them more violent side of him to scare them off, ignoring Mrs. Weasley's reprimanding that by threatening them they were less likely to believe he's innocent. His response was to promptly turn into a dog and bare his teeth at kids, effectively frightening them. Mrs. Weasley merely sighed at his chidish behavior.

* * *

**_[Page 208 - Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban]_**

Ron let out a loud, gleeful cackle at that, griining so widely that it threatened to split his face in half. The twins exchanged wary yet curious glance, calculating whether they should ask their younger brother why he was laughing his head off just because they had pranked their professor a bit. In the end, their curiosity won, resulting to Fred cautiously probing for the reason of his laughter. By then, Harry was also snickering and to their shock, Hermione, who was the most clear-headed person, was giggling behind her hand as well.

"Ooookay." Fred drew out uncertainly, wondering yet again if the trio had long since gone mad. Well, considering how much they had gone into life-threatening situations, especially Harry, he supposed he couldn't exactly blame them for it. "So any of you up to explaining why the hell you lot are laughing like bunch of luantics?"

"Because of what you two did. Obviously." Ron rolled his eyes, only managing to rein in his laughter for few seconds before restarting again. George huffed, not liking even a bit that his younger brother knew something they didn't and he was clearly using it to his full advantage. "Well, we know _that_. If you need us to be more specific for your tiny brain cell-"

"And yes, we did intend to say 'brain cell' as in singular since you clearly lack intellect of more than one." Fred piped up, awarded by his youngest brother's squawk of protest.

"-to understand, we are asking why you are laughing just because we've jostled up a professor's turban."

"Exactly! You 'jostled up a professor's turban'." With that, the trio burst into giggles while the others continued to stare them with varying degrees of concern and curiosity. Remus frowned, trying to come up with an explanation to no avail. "I'm starting to realize there are so much things that you three has hidden from the others."

"You realized that only now?" Sirius snorted, fingering refilled vials of Calming Draughts that Madam Pomfrey had brought before breakfast. Someone had to give her a medal or something for being so considerate and not keeping the potions for herself. He knew he would have if only to have some extra for himself when they run out of the potions and also for patching up students - especially Harry, who was without any doubt the most frequent patient of hers - after they bang themselves up. Little did he know that the medi-healer had done exactly that, a bottle charmed so that it holds at least 2 litres of the draught though she knows perfectly that that amount isn't healthy and can be fatal. But she'd rather have it ready near her than get heart attack from listening to the dangers the three Gryffindors faced that was sure to be described in the book because she ran out of the potion. "I thought school was for education, not some perilous adventure full of three-headed dogs and Basilisk and dragons. What happened to being the safest place on Earth?"

"My thoughts exactly." James groaned, slouching against his chair, rubbing his eyes wearily. The three teens grinned sheepishly, not in a position to defend themselves. After all, most of the things _had _happened because of their curiosity. "What do you have against that professor? He must have made one hell of mistake for you three to hate him so much. I mean, you lot still say Remmy-" this caused a dark look from the said werewolf, which he skillfully ignored "is the best DADA Professor you've ever had even when you know his furry little problem."

"To be fair, all of our DADA professors were terrible." Harry grimaced, recalling them and their unique teaching habits. "I mean, it's not a difficult decision, really. Remus is the best out of them without a doubt. In fact, it's not even debatable."

"I agree whole-heartedly. As you know, I respect all professors but they were simply horrible. I can't even pick who's the worst." Hermione blushed when everyone turned to gape at her open-mouthedly. "What? I don't think all professors are holy and always needs to be obeyed like a god, you know. I can think badly of them if they give me a reason to, and they certainly did."

"If Hermione, _the_ Hermione who worships every single professors and would even gladly take her own life if they says so, thinks Quirrell was bad then he must be dreadful. Merlin, I never thought I would see Hermione bad-mouthing a professor." Fred shook his head, honestly in awe. George nodded next to him, mentally congratuating themselves for pranking Quirrell. After all, if all three thought he deserved it, he must have endangered one of them or done something equally horrific and harming someone the twins cared was just unforgivable. They just hoped Quirrell hadn't hurt any of them seriously.

* * *

_**[Page 209 - So Malfoy, jealoud and angry, had gone back to taunting Harry about having no proper family.]**_

"Excuse me?" Though the question was levelled, nobody missed the underlying fury beneath her words as she sat there, literally radiating rage. Draco gulped, recognizing that stony face and the icy posture from his mother when he manged to _really _anger his usually mild-tempered woman. Needless to say, the Slytherin knew he was in deep trouble and there was no way he would get out of this unscathed.

"Geez, mom. Calm down." To his uptmost surprise, it was Harry who had come to his rescue, though he was sure it wasn't out of the goodness of his heart. No matter how self-sacrificing and noble the Gryffindor may seem to be, he wouldn't willingly try to save his arch enemy from the grave he had dug himself. It was most likely to save his and the other people around him's ear drums, which was a fairly good reason. From what he heard and observed so far, she normally wasn't hot-tempered but when it concerned her loved ones, you had to prepare or your ears will _explode _from the sheer volume of her yells; look at what she did to her own sister when she found out about her son's abuse. "I don't really care, and besides he does have a point. Would _you _call the Dursleys a 'proper family'?"

As quickly as she rose in anger, she deflated, frowning at her son, struggling to come up with appropriate answer but thinking of none. Harry grinned smugly, happy to see that no matter how angry she was, she listened to him no matter what. "See? There's no need to be upset about such small thing. Anyways, it doesn't matter now, does it? I mean, I have a family now, right?"

Harry winced, cursing himself for sounding so uncertain. He could feel the heat creeping up his face as he finished that sappy sentence and fidgeted as he waited for an answer. Thankfully, it wasn't long before Lily gathered herself together, her face lighting up in delight that Harry had actually admitted them as his family. Sure, they knew they loved each other but it was another matter entirely to actually hear the proof. She hugged him tightly, relieved that he only tensed a bit but didn't push her away and stroked his dark locks. "Of course you do, honey. We are all here for you."

As he watched the mother caressing her son's hair gently, Draco couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. Although he received love from his parents throughout his life, most of it was in form of money and they had an iamge of pureblood to maintain so they showed as minimum of sentiment as possible. So such action of love and affection in public was enough to draw out envy from the blond teen. But he snapped back to reality when James scowled at him, not entirely convinced to let it go and leave him alone like his son requested.

"I will still have a word with you, young man."

He nodded curtly, knowing it would be little use to protest or attempt to defend himself. He knew a lost cause when he saw it and at least Potter managed to calm his parents somewhat. All he could do now was to be on his best behavior while encountering the Potters and hope like hell they don't see need for anything more than verbal lecture. He heard about James Potter from his father and how he was ruthless with his pranks when he really put his mind onto it. He shuddered to think what the prankster would have in store for him for taunting his son for years.

* * *

_**[Page 211 - "Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is."]**_

"Really, Harry? Stop harassing Hagrid. He already feels bad enough that he told you that piece of information." Hannah shook her head and let out a heavy sigh as she watched her friend Susan yell at the book. Honestly, as they continued reading the book, more and more people got so absorbed to the story that they forgot it had all happened years ago and the book-people could not hear them no matter how loudly they yelled their comments. She just knew at the end of the book, they would have trouble seperating the reality from what they've read and other people will look at them like they were crazy. Heck, she wouldn't be surprised if none of them were completely sane considering how nerve-wrecking the adventures could be. Couldn't Harry at least _try _to not describe the events so throughly? She groaned internally when she realized she was blaming the book-Harry as well. Ugh, this was not good for her mental health!

"What? I was hoping Hagrid would just tell us who he is so we don't have to go through all the trouble. Do you have any idea how uncomfortable library chairs are?" Harry complained, letting out a small yelp when Remus lightly cuffed him. "Ow! Oh, right. Sorry about that, Hagrid." He scratched his hair ruefully, as he felt guilty that he hadn't thought of what his friend would feel for that slip-up. Hagrid waved aside the apology, knowing Harry didn't mean any harm. He was just curious, though it was one of his wished for his curiosity to lessen for his and the other professors' sakes. Especially for Harry's family and friends. He didn't think their heart could handle all the stress from hearing Harry putting himself in danger time and time again.

"So that's why you three went to the library so much? I thought Hermione convinced you to study for exams or something." Neville tilted his head, his mood increasing that one of his inquiries of the three Gryffindors' actions was answered, but he still had tons of others that was yet to be explained.

"Ron? Study for exam? Never." Harry and Hermione dodged a swat from the ginger head, laughing playfully to let him know they weren't mocking him. "He and Harry are more of a outside type anyways. But I have to admit, that was one of the rare times when library failed to provide me the information I was looking for." The bushy-haired witch grimaced, as if just thinking about it caused her physical pain. Ron and Harry snorted, snickering at the memory.

"I remember you being so distraught, refusing to believe the library didn't have every answer to your question."

"Oh, be quiet, Harry." Hermione huffed, but the smile tugging at her lips betrayed her.

* * *

_**[Page 214 - "Will you look at this? I've got some presents!"]**_

The wizards and witches had to wince in sympathy at the proof that Harry had received no proper presents for his entire life and turned to glower at the people responsible for it. Dursleys cringed when everyone turned to glare at them, but of course, Vernon, as proud and thick-headed as he was, didn't back up and glared back, refusing to be intimidated by these wizards. They didn't know what a big burden the Freak was and if they had to take care of him for a day, they would know what he had put his perfect family through and would gladly get rid of him. It only showed how kind his family was for not dumping him in an orphanage like he deserved. Some of his thoughts must have been showing on his face because the boy's friends were gathering around, whispering to themselves and shooting dark looks at him. He had to will himself not to show fear as he remembered what had happened to them the day before. He had no wish to repeat it again.

With the mood so somber and depressed, it was no wonder that it was Sirius who broke the mood. Grinning so widely that it threatened to split his face in half, Sirius thumped his godson's back, earning a yelp from the said teen. "And we'll buy you loads more presents! Just you wait until Christmas, we will practically drown you with them!"

"You don't have to, though, really. Don't waste so much money just because-"

"None sense!" Sirius swiftly cut off Harry's protest, the others voicing their agreements as well. "We'll throw a grand party with heaps of presents, a Quidditch match, magnificent Christmas tree and tons of delicious treats!"

"But-"

"Come on, Harry, just agree to it. Please?" James gave him his best puppy eyes which should have looked quite ridiculous on such a grown man but surprisingly suited him rather well. "Besides, it's the first Christmas the old mutt here," this drew out a squawk of protest from the animagus. "had for twelve years and the first Christmas we would all be present. What do you say, hmm?"

"I - oh, alright. If you insist." Harry rolled his eyes but he was secretly very pleased that they were so willing to invest that much money and time just because he never had a chance to.

* * *

_**[Page 216 - "It's an Invisibility Cloak"...'Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well.']**_

"Ohmygodsohmygods_ohmygods_!" The twins immediately started hyperventilating, no doubt thinking of all the possibilities of what they could do with an Invisibility Cloak. Everyone had to shudder as they imagined what kind of chaos they would cause with the cloak in their posession.

"You, you-" Fred struggled to form a sentence in vain, still not entirely recovered from the revelation, so the task was left for George to take over. "You had an Invisibility Cloak the _entire time _and _you didn't tell us?_" He practically screeched at the end, looking downright betrayed that they hadn't told them about it. The said teens looked at one another and slowly backed away from the twins who looked like they were more than ready to pounce on them to get the cloak.

"To be fair, you didn't ask us." Harry defended, using Sirius, who was the closest to him, as a human shield to block Fred from reaching him. Ron and Hermione had also done the same, Ron behind Ginny, who was very amused yet annoyed at being handled in such way, and Hermione behind Mrs. Weasley. None of the twins dared to cross their sister becasue as young as she was, she was rather talented in hexes and jinxes and could easily beat them if needed and there was no need to explain why they didn't even _think_ about crossing their mother, so they instead took after Harry to the Gryffindor's horror.

"Well, dear Harry-"

"-if you would be so kind like a gentleman you are-"

"-we would love to borrow that cloak of yours-"

"-if you don't mind, of course-"

"-for our own reasons that I fear cannot tell you right now-"

"-but I assure you we won't damage it and return it safely to you-"

"-after we finish our buisness."

"Well? Would you care to grace our humble selves with your endless generosity and lend us your magnificent cloak?"

They ended in sync, looking at Harry so intensely that the poor teen fumbled for words all the while he shoved his godfather in front of him lest the two demons manage to grab him and drag him off. The three of them bickered for awhile, oblivious of the amused stares they were receiving, while Sirius who was in the middle of the squabble had to dodge and occasionally wince or cry out when the twins accidentally hit him while they were trying to get to Harry.

"Come on, Harry, just for a week!"

"No way in hell."

"_Pleeeaaase_?_"_

"I told you, no!"

"Ouch! That was my stomach you punchced!"

"Pretty please with a cherry on the top? Aw, come on, Harry. Sharing is caring."

"I'm pretty sure in this case sharing is absolute disaster."

"Alright, you boys. Leave him alone."

Having enough, Mrs. Weasley reprimanded the twins, saving Harry from their clutches. "Thank you, Mrs. Weasley. You are a saint." He sighed, breathing a sigh of relief and relaxing when it was clear the twins were in no position to attempt to snatch him away as they were being restrained by his older brothers, Bill and Charlie. Mrs. Weasley chuckled at his behavior, his lopsided grin making him look younger and more adorable. "No problem, dear."

Umbridge scowled as she watched the whole exchange, disgusted that these people were showing so much affection to Harry. He was a sneaky little liar who deserved to be punished, not showered with love like they were doing. At least those muggles had the right idea about him and tried to change him but it seemed it didn't work so well. Although they managed to put healthy dose of fear in the boy if the event that happened yesterday was anything to go by. It was a pity they had to be muggles. She scowled again when she thought back to the Invisiiblity Cloak. They were very rare, as the Weasley boy had commented in the book and it was such a waste that such a priceless item was in posession of Potter. She desperately wanted to take it away from the boy and to the Ministry but she knew without a doubt that they would kick a fuss, especially James Potter. She just had to let it go for the moment and look out for any trouble Potter or his friends caused for an excuse to confiscate it. Well, the reading wasn't so bad as she would soon learn all Potter and Dumbledore's dirty little secrets that she could use against them.

* * *

_**[Page 220 - The whole of Hogwarts was open to him in this Cloak...He could go anywhere in this, anywhere, and Filch would never know.]**_

"Really, Harry?" Sirius groaned, glaring at the teen in question. Harry winced, scratching his head ruefully. "I thought you said you don't look for troubles. If I get a heart attack because of whatever you did that night, I'm blaming you." He sat up abruptly, squinting suspiciously at the teen. "You didn't get into any dangerous place, did you? I swear, if you went to the forbidden area to find whatever the dog was guarding, I won't be responsible for my reaction. I suspect it's passing out or screaming my head off but whatever it might be, it won't be pretty."

"I didn't go to the forbidden corridor...that night, at least." The last part was muttered quietly so only Ron and Hermione could hear. The three of them grimaced at recalling their adventure and in Harry's case, meeting Voldemort. Their action went unnoticed for the others were breathing out a sigh of relief at hearing that nothing drastic was going to happen. Hopefully.

"So what did you do then?" James leaned back, an eyebrow raised in question. "Did you prank someone? Please tell me you did. I know there's a Marauder side in you-" Lily elbowed him sharply in the ribs "_Ow!_ What the bloody hell was that for? Ouch! Okay, okay. I'll stop trying to corrupt him to follow my footsteps. Happy?" He pouted when she grinned cheekily, patting his head like you would with a child. "Very. Thank you, dear. I'd rather not use any more violence than necessary." He paled, gulping audibly much to her amusement.

"But really, what did you do? And it better not be anything hazardous or we _will_ be talking about it." Lily pinned her son with a stern look, receiving frantic nods as as response. Satisfied her message was clear, she ruffled his black hair, making it even messier than before to let him know she wasn't truly angry at him. Well, she might be if he had jumped face-first into danger without thinking about it first.

"Well, it wasn't anything life-threatening but I guess I kinda broke some rules."

"You think?" Ginny deadpanned causing Harry to duck his head in embarrassment. "Fine. I _did_ break several rules. Sorry about that." He cringed when he was subjected under a stern look for the second time by his Head of the House, Professor McGonagall. Her brows furrowed in disapprovement but to his relief, she didn't immediately give him detention or take off points. "You will receive appropriate punishment for your actions, Mr. Potter but as we don't know what you've done yet, I will let it go for now."

Umbridge scoffed under her breath, her eyes glinting in glee. As if she would let _her_ deal with Potter. As strict as she might appear to be, she had a soft spot for Potter and his friends so it was obvious she would lighten the punishment. Which was why she would be ready when where Potter went that day was discovered and take the matter into her own hands. She already knew few events that Potter should have been disciplined but got off with a mere slap on the wrist so she would use this information to finally punish him accordingly. If she was lucky, she might even manage to stop him from spreading his poisonous lies onto his peers.

* * *

_**[Page 220 - The Restricted Section in the library. He'd be able to read as long as he liked, as long as it took to find out who Flamel was.]**_

"You went to the Restricted Section?" Neville exclaimed, stricken. "I know you were really curious about Nicolas Flamel - after all, you three were always whispering to yourselves and it even coaxed Ron to go to the library _willingly_ \- but do you have any idea what would have happened if you were caught?"

"Which is exactly why you'll be having detention with me." Umbridge smirked in triumph, finally managing to find punishable excuse. "Two weeks of detention for being out after curfew, _twice_ if I might add, once going into the forbidden area on the third floor and once into the Restricted Section in the library, deliberately using a broom when the instructions clearly stated you were forbidden to and also for intentionally going against professor's instructions during the Halloween and dragging your two peers in danger." She couldn't suppress the manic glee she felt so didn't bother trying, her smugness showing as well. Harry's friends immediately started protesting on his behalf, though the boy in question was staying unusually quiet.

"You can't do that! It already happened _years_ ago! You can't hold it against him."

"You can't put him into detention when most of them happened to help his friends and were accidental!"

"You fucking bastard! Don't you even dare lay a finger on Harry or Merlin help me, I will-" The last was of course from Sirius and James, the most vocal pair from the whole angry mob though the difference between the volume were barely noticeable. Umbridge let out a bang from her wand, instantly silencing the crowd but they were still glaring daggers at her. If looks could kill, Umbridge would have been ten times dead already.

"The fact that it happened years ago is exactly why Mr. Potter's punishment is only two weeks of detention with me instead of several months like it's supposed to be. It should have been dealt with as soon as it was found but as the professors hadn't known or let their personal feelings cloud their judgement the task falls to me. I am perfectly capable of giving out more detentions to all of you and take off the House points if you continue to go against my orders."

"And as the Minister for Magic, I _will_ punish those who rebel against the High Inquisitor's direct orders. Mrs. Weasley, be ready to write down everyone who speak against Dolores from now on." Fudge commanded, Percy scrambling for his quill as he did so. It was unusual for a man who was as organized and prepared as him to be caught so off guard, especially during his job. But it seemed that he had also been absorbed in the book and his embarrassment for being caught of his inattentiveness showed by the blush on his face.

"O-of course, sir." He nervously bit his lower lip, his eyes flitting anxiously to his family who was barely restraining themselves from yelling abuse at the two. Whether it was genuine concern for them or if he was merely worried about his job should his own blood say bad things to the Minister, no one knew and frankly, not many people cared.

"You-" The rest of the sentence that would have been a long rant full of colourful curses and creative insults died in his throat as Harry placed a firm grip on his shoulder, starting James out of his fury. It seemed that the emerald-eyed teen had warned the others not to say anything as no one was talking, though they were certainly fuming and muttering under their breath. Sirius had to be physically restrained by Remus - who was more than happy to distract himself by focusing all of his thoughts and strength into the task at hand - so he didn't run up to the two morons and run them through a fork that the animagus had somehow found. Lily's lip was pressed into thin line, clearly wanting nothing else than hexing them to the next century but containing her rage per her son's request. The Weasley twins, Ginny and Ron had been bound and by how no sound came out of their moving mouths, silenced as well. The more mild-tempered ones were coping better, though their fingers twitched like it was itching to take out their wands. Luna seemed to be the most calm one but her eyes were narrowed and completely focused, which was very unusual for her and indicated how angry she was. But he had never been a 'think before you act' sort of guy, more like 'act first than ask questions'. So he turned to give the two utter idiots a piece of his mind when the tug on his shoulder increased.

"Come on, dad. Just this once, don't yell at them. You'll get into big trouble no matter your title or the fact you are technically 'dead' and you know this. Come on, please?"

Damn, and how could he refuse that pleading look he was subjected to? Sighing, James slumped in his seat, making it clear that while he did as he was told, he was not happy with it even a bit. Harry grinned in victory, pushing aside his own worries for now. The scar on the back of his hand seemed to ache and he rubbed it self-consciously. He didn't know how he was going to hide what happened during the detention with Umbridge from his family. They would surely be enraged and try to throttle the woman with their bare hands. He wouldn't be surprised if they fought each other for rights to hurt her. But he heard what Fudge said and he didn't want anyone getting hurt because they tried to protect him. As stupid and stubborn he may be, Fudge was still the Minister and had power and control. He could declare Sirius was insane and lock him up in St Mungo's, say Remus is dangerous because he's a werewolf and hunt him down or even expel his friends and him. So maybe he was being a bit paranoid but could you blame him? He would rather have the scar on his hand than risk his family's safety. Ron and Hermone gave him a look that clearly stated they knew what he was thinking and Harry tried to smile at them reassuringly.

"Don't worry. She just makes me do lines, that's all."

Ron and Hermione scoffed at this, no doubt wanting to point out the ridiculous amount of sugar-coating he did in that sentence. Harry tried to give them a convincing smile but they didn't buy it for a second. At least it worked for the others. Now, how could he hide the scars from them? Asking Ron and Hermione for help was out since they would only try to persuade him to tell them. He should really work on the illusion charm but how could he study it without drawing attention to it? He winced when Hermione jabbed his ribs with her elbow, her displeasure made clear with the gesture. What was he supposed to do then? It wasn't like even if he _did_ tell the adults they could just stop Umbridge from ruling Hogwarts. Besides, Fudge won't just stand there and watch them attack his employer. Never had Harry wished for the jinx on the DADA teacher post to be true and just act up already. Then the school will be free of the horrible pink toad and he will be free of these problems.

* * *

_**[Page 221 - A piercing, blood-curdling shriek split the silence - the book was screaming!]**_

"Books can scream?" Dennis, his eyes as wide as saucers, turned to his hero questioningly. "Did it really scream? How can it scream if it has no mouth? And if it screams when it gets opened, how do you read it? So is the book alive? Wait, does that mean the book has a gender or something?"

"Whoa, slow down, Dennis." Harry facepalmed when the Creevey brothers squealed and started gushing to themselves about how the great Harry Potter knew his name. Well, it was very hard to forget the names of people who always takes his pictures everytime they meet or end up staring at him, starstruck, whenever they try to make small talk. "Yes, it actually did scream and I hadn't imagined it. But other than that you'll have to ask Madam Pince about it because I honestly have no idea how to answer any of your questions."

"The book wasn't alive but the screaming was because of a protective spell that was placed on it. There's a reason why the book was in the Restricted Section, which is why you should never wander around in there without permission." At this, the librarian gave the Gryffindor a stern look, secretly finding how the boy fidgeted uncomfortably adorable. "Every single one of them contains gruesome and deadly curses and potions and half of the books in there are enchanted with all sorts of protective spells that you'll be cursed as soon as you open them. You were lucky that you didn't pick a book that had some serious enchantment on it."

Hermione smacked her friend on his head, ignoring his yelp of pain and shock. "That was for going out in the middle of the night without telling anyone and almost getting cursed by a book. Honestly, Harry, just when are you going to stop looking for troubles?" Harry protested, rubbing his sore head tenderly. "Hey! That wasn't my fault!...Fine, it kinda was, but you were the one who told us to keep searching for Nicolas Flamel and I had the perfect opportunity!"

"Oh, now you're blaming me now?"

"I never blamed you, I just pointed out a fact, that's all."

"Woah, easy guys." Ron placed a calming hand on their shoulders. "I thought I was the hot-tempered one, not you two. Hermione stop yelling at Harry. He did pay the price by getting shocked by a screaming book, you know." Hermione let out an indigant huff but he held up a hand to cut off her protest. "And Harry, she does have a point. You were the one who went to Restricted Section, after all. Who knows what might've happened?"

"Wow, I'd never thought I'll see the day when my own brother dissolve an argument so effectively." Ginny muttered, smiling innocently when the said brother turned around to glare at her. Ron - who couldn't exactly fight his sister when his parents were right next to them - settled on merely sighing annoyedly and making sure his two best friends were calmed down enough.

"Personally, I agree with Hermione. You should have never gone out alone in the middle of the night when I know you attract all sorts of troubles in the day time. I don't want to even think about what kind of danger you'll face in the dark." Lily shuddered, not liking at all to be reminded of all the close-calls her son had went through. James shared her distress and desperately tried to think of spells that would let them know of whereabout of Harry and enable them to teleport to him straight away. Or anything that would stop Harry from going more than one mile in radius away from him. He had a feeling that stopping him from wandering off on their own without any of them knowing would save them a lot of trouble and heart attacks. The trouble was, he couldn't think of any spell that does exactly that without causing Harry discomfort or pain and that doesn't involve slight amount of Dark Art, blood ritual and that isn't illegal. Maybe they could create one? After all, Lily was one of the brightest student during their schooldays, the three of them had found a way to be animagus without any side-effects when they weren't even seventh year and with the help of Harry's freinds who also had brilliant minds on their own he was quite confident that they could do it. There were tons of spells that had to be created by someone in the past so how hard could it be?

* * *

**_[Pgae 223 - It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi_.]_**

"Well, that was close." Neville muttered, risking a glance at the High Table, immediately looking away when he met the Potions Master's eyes. "I don't know what would have happened if you were caught by Filch _and_ Snape."

"But I have a feeling I'm going to know now." Harry winced when Snape confirmed his guess by taking off twenty five points for that. The only reason why more points weren't removed was Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore's reminder of how it had happened years ago. He let out a breath of relief at that. He had no intention to repeat his first year experience with how sensitive your Housemates could get when you took away their chance to win the House Cup. They were already hostile enough, he didn't want to worsen it. He grinned at the two professors in gratitude, receiving a smile back in return.

"But what does that writing supposed to mean?" Ron scrunched up his face, scratching his head in thought. "I mean, if it's so magnificent, whoever made it wouldn't have carved in some meaningless words on it." Hermione frowned as well, wrecking her brain to understand the meaning behind it. The rest of the student body were also trying to find out the meaning, especially the Ravenclaws who were always eager for a chance to solve a riddle and prove their intelligence, but with no such luck. Hermione growled under her breath, almost ripping a chunk of hair out by her constant frustrated tugging. "I don't get it. It's not French, Spanish, German, Latin or even Greek! What sort of language is it?"

"Why in bloody hell did you learn Latin and Greek for?" Ron gaped, his jaw practically hitting the ground. Harry wasn't far behind, his eyes so large that she was afraid it would fall out. "What? Latin is important for spells and Greek is very similar. The other languages, well... It was interesting and I was a bit bored. Stop looking at me like that! It's not like I can speak them fluently or something." She said defensively, folding her arms with a huff, her cheeks tainted red. Remus shook his head, impressed at her intellect. He knew she was smart when he was Hogwarts teacher, but he didn't know the exact extend of it. Sirius let out a low whistle, nudging the sandy-haired man. "She's _good._ I think you got a competer, Remmy. _Siriusly_, I never thought I would see a kid more into studying than you." He emphasized the pun strongly, letting out a bark of laughter when James groaned at the much used joke while the werewolf only rolled his eyes, swatting at him for the nickname.

"Anyways, back to the inscription. Anyone know what it means?" Ginny raised her voice, her shoulder slouching a little at the negative answers. "What about you, Harry?" The Gryffindor shook his head. "I only know that its name is the Mirror of Erised and that it shows your deepest desire, but I don't know the meaning behind that writing." The red-haired girl pouted, disappointed. "What kind of language is it then? Is it some ancient language that has been faded away in time or something?"

"It's English."

At this statement, everyone turned to face the blond girl who, to her credit, didn't even blink when all sets of eyes were directed to her. To others this would have been a feat to achieve but Luna...well, she never did really care of the other's opinion and attention, so it wasn't really surprising. "What do you mean it's English? Anyone can see it's clearly not." Cho called out, knitting her brows in confusion and frustration that she might have missed out something and it was being pointed out by someone else. Luna blinked, seemingly confused as well that they didn't seem to get it and raised her wand, writing out the words in the air, which, Harry noted with a slight shiver, was similar to how the Tom Riddle diary had in his second year.

"Well, it's English but it's written backwards." A flick of her wrist and the writing rearranged itself so that it now spelled, 'ishow no tyo urfac ebu tyo urhe arts desire'. "And the space is inserted incorrectly." Another flick, and the writing now read, 'i show not your face but your hearts desire'. People stared in awe, more surprised that 'Loony' Lovegood was the one to guess its meaning correctly than at the meaning. Harry frowned deeply, being reminded of how kids treated him during his childhood from the students' attitude towards Luna. People also thought he was weird and freakish, thanks to the Dursleys, and like her, he was an outcast amongst them and no one dared to talk to him lest they get cornered by Dudley. He still was the weird kid but due to his cousin's fear towards his magic, it wasn't as bad as it had been before. He knew exactly how it felt to be in that position no matter how hard he tried to ignore the feeling and try to act nonchalant about it, and he had no wish for Luna to go through that. He rubbed his chin, tilting his head in thought. Perhaps he could ask the twins to prank anyone who tries to bully Luna? If he offered to lend his Invisiblity Cloak to pull the trick, the pranksters wouldn't even hesitate for even a second and he was pretty sure they would agree to it even if he didn't offer his cloak for exchange. They had showed their dislike towards bullies so they wouldn't want the blond Ravenclaw, who was their sister's best friend as well as their friend, to be pushed around by the bullies. Yes, that would do.

"That's brilliant, Luna!" Ginny exclaimed happily, hugging her friend to congratulate her. Hermione seemed a bit miffed that she hadn't been the one to figure it out - "Backwards! Of course! Why hadn't I thought of that?" - but she offered her compliment as well.

"So we'll get to see what's your deepest desire?" Charlie questioned, smirking at the younger boy. "What is it then? Do you have childhood crush or something?"

"Knock it off, Charlie. It's not funny." Ron scowled at his brother, knowing what book-Harry would see in the mirror. At that time, when he didn't know the purpose of the mirror, he hadn't thought much of Harry seeing his family. But now that he knew, it saddened him that his best friend's deepest desire was just meeting his family which was considered insignificant by most kids in his age. The dragon tamer faltered at the solemn expression on his youngest brother's face and wondered just what exactly was Harry's desire that brought such pensive look on his brother.

* * *

_**[Page 223 - There he was, reflected in it, white and scared-looking, and there, reflected behind him, were at least ten others...Harry was looking at his family, for the first time in his life.]**_

Silence settled on the Great Hall as they registered the meaning behind it. Everyone watched in hushed silence that none dared to break, Lily hugged her son almost desperately like she was afraid he would disappear as soon as she let go of him. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as the mother mourned all the things her son had to go through alone and thanked everyone for giving them the chance to be part of his life. _No more_, she vowed to herself as she pressed her lips on Harry's forehead. No more would her son suffer anymore and she would not let anyone go between her and her family or die trying. They had been forcibly torn apart before and any chance of her son's normal life had been the price of it. But if she could help it, she would make that life filled with happy memories of all of them together so they could look back and laugh. They were given another chance and she would be damned if she wasted it.

James also wrapped his arms around the two of them, a single treacherous tear escaping it's way down, though he would never admit it later even with a death threat hanging over his head. Like Lily, he also couldn't even comprehend all the emotions flying around inside him but one thing was clear; his family was back together once again and he would protect them with everything he had. He tightened his grip, wishing he could project every love and affection into Harry so he could understand how much they loved him. For once surrounded by people who actually loved and cared for him, Harry's self-control slipped and soon enough, the three Potters were huddled against each other, a mess of tears and smiles. Most people had to turn away, feeling uncomfortable that they were intruding something very private. Harry's friends, on the other hand, watched the three of them fondly, their own tears making their way down their faces.

"We love you Harry, so much, and I'm so sorry we weren't there when you needed us." Harry buried his head into his mother's chest, inhaling her scent. "It's okay. It's not like you _wanted_ to be away." He mumbled, tiny part of him thinking he should be embarrassed to have an emotional breakdown like this but it wasn't like this was the first time they've seen it and for the life of him, he couldn't make himself care if he'd tried. He just wanted to stay like this forever, without the return of the dark wizard who was bent on killing him hanging over his head and just relaxing, trusting his parents to stop every bad things from ever reaching him so he didn't have to worry for his life for once. As if sensing his thoughts, James squeezed his hand reassuringly, as if to tell him they were still there and they weren't going anywhere soon.

"Yes but we're here now and you'll be stuck with us for a very long time." He grinned, causing Harry to smile back in return. "You shouldn't make promises that you can't keep, you know. Voldemort's going to cause war and no matter what we do, he'll come for me. He might...he killed you once, so it isn't that far-fetched to say he'll do it again."

James's smile faltered, knots tightening in his stomach. Already, his son knew about death and battle and anyone could see he was deeply affected by it. This was yet another proof that his son might never have an average life but Voldemort be damned, he was going to make sure he felt happy even if he had to dive into the Death Eaters infested headquarters and kill the wizard responsible himself. So he gripped his son's shoulders and looked at him in the eye, trying to convey his thoughts. "I am going to do everything and anything to make sure us three survive through this and I'm going to make sure we have a fantastic life together and that's a promise that I'll keep until the end of my day. Got that?" Harry grinned brightly before hugging him tightly, whispering _thank you_ over and over as if this was the first time anyone promised that. Which was likely - he couldn't imagine the Dursleys reassuring Harry that everything was going to be alright - and felt another pang of sadness while happiness was blooming in his chest. It was surely a strange feeling to have, opposite emotions mixed together, but it just made him more determined to keep his promise.

As she watched the three of them, Mrs. Weasley had to cover her mouth as tears threatened to fall. Oh, that poor boy. To think that seeing his family was what he wanted more than anything shattered her heart into million pieces as she clung to her husband, sobbing. Arthur was also showing signs of tears but he tried to stay strong for her sake. As parents of seven kids, they couldn't bear to even think about one of their kids being in the same position as Harry and could only pray such circumstance would never come to any of them, as selfish as that might seem. They could only watch the Potters, not even close to understanding what they were thinking which would be, without a doubt, a swirl of uncontrollable chaotic emotions. Thank Merlin that they got a second chance to be with each other, completing the family as whole. They only prayed it won't end in such tragedy like last time.

* * *

_**[Page 226 - "...I'm Head Boy!...I am - I'm wearing the badge like Bill used to - and I'm holding the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup - I'm Quidditch captain, too!"]**_

The Weasleys stared blankly at Ron who was fidgeting uncomfortably. Not being able to withstand the tension any longer, he snapped, looking defensive and nervous at the same time. "What? Stop looking at me like that and talk or turn around and focus on the book." He huffed, trying to play his hot temper as much as possible in hope that they would scold him for talking like that to his family and forget about it. Of course, it didn't work.

"Ron... That's your deepest desire?" Charlie asked hesitantly, almost afraid to be confirmed of his thoughts. Ron shrugged, acting nonchalant. "Yeah, so? It's not like I'm the only one who wishes that. I bet half of people sitting here dreams of that as well."

"Ron, you know what we're talking about. Stop trying to avoid the subject." Bill frowned, for once looking like the eldest child of the Weasleys. "Do you really feel that...overshadowed by us?"

Ron shrugged his shoulders, resisting urge to run away from the Hall and the conversation as he knew they would just come back to it until he answered it. Finally steeling his resolve to turn and face his family, he replied, albeit quietly. "Well, all of you did great at school and had good jobs - even if mum didn't approve everything about it. You've been a Head Boy, a Prefect, Quidditch Captain and even perfect score by Percy." Ron winced when his brother's name slipped out, knowing how much all of them were affected by his betrayal. The said boy was also listening intently, furrowing his brows in worry as he strained to hear his youngest brother, only realizing what he was doing when the Minister coughed loudly to capture his attention. Blushing furiously, he ducked his head, pretending to scribble on his clipboard while he was trying to listen to his family. "Hell, even Fred and George gets decent scores and even if I do manage to achieve any of that, it's not really a big deal since it's already been done." He cleared his throat loudly and looked away, his ears tinged in pink in embarrassment which was understandable since he normally didn't talk about his thoughts like that, especially not to his family.

"Oh, Ron." Mrs. Weasley enveloped her son in bear hug, her eyes suspiciously bright. "Never think that, _never._ We are all so proud of you and you should know better than to think your achievements will go unnoticed by us - well, you should put more effort into your studies first." She mock-scolded, lightening up the mood a bit. The Weasleys took that as their cue, doing what they did best; using jokes, pranks and light insults to make people laugh.

"Besides, who cares about all those fancy titles and medals, anyways?"

"Honestly, if you actually thought winning any of them were worth it, we are really going to disown you as our brother-"

"-and lock you up in St Mungo's for thinking such horrendous thing-"

"-'cause, let's be honest, if anyone thinks getting perfect scores are important they are a pure Ravenclaw through and through-"

"Like our Hermione here."

"-or a stuck-up, full of himself git like our dear brother up there-"

"You should get your mind checked out, by the way. No one can be such a prat all the time like you manage to do so."

"-and we would die of shame if you turned out like that." Fred finished, pleased with themselves that they made their point. "So no sulking about bad grades and fancy titles whatsoever. Got that? Good."

"Although I won't be surprised if your brain can't catch up with all these information at once. Must be so overwhelming..." George mused, dodging a whack aimed for his head with good-natured laugh. Their plan worked and their little brother was out of his awkward emotional mood. If that wasn't a success, they didn't know what was.

"But seriously though, don't think you matter any less because we've done it already." Ron nodded, causing Charlie to grin and ruffle his hair much to his chagrin. Arthur smiled warmly, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "And if you have any concerns like that, come to us. Your brothers might tease and be immature all the time but you know they care about you." Bill had to slap George on his head when he started pulling faces, saying, "Ew. Emotional talk".

"And I honestly am sorry if you really thought I didn't pay as much attention to you as your brothers. But you know how they are like, running all over the places and trying to kill each other every five seconds. Someone has to make sure they don't do anything drastic to get themselves in Azkaban." Mrs. Weasley chuckled fondly, remembering her children at mealtime. Ginny, who seemed quite shocked that her brother had thought that, piped in as well, throwing a light punch to Ron's shoulder. "So stop thinking so gloomy things and moping around. I mean, look at _me!_ I'm the only girl in the house with _six_ boys and I had to battle those six men - who are way bigger than me, mind you - to get a piece of pie! _And_ I also have a lot to live up for." She huffed, but playful light in her eyes showed them she wasn't actually angry. Ron scowled at her half-heartedly, feeling better now that problem was over.

* * *

_**[Page 230 - "What do you see when you look in the Mirror?" "I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woollen socks."]**_

People in general merely laughed at very Dumbledore-ish answer, while some rolled their eyes or scoffed at the ridiculous statement. Some who disliked the Headmaster - Umbridge, Fudge and the Dursleys to name a few - only took it as a proof that he was indeed insane and couldn't care less. Knowing this, Dumbledore smiled jovially, glad to see the atmosphere had lightened up. But if anyone looked closely, they would've noticed his blue eyes had dimmed a several shades as he thought back to the image that burned itself into his mind. Contrary to what he told Harry, he saw his family, whole and free of any pain, standing in the mirror, smiling and waving at himself, as if to invite him to come join them. Everytime he stood in front of the Mirror, the weight of how his actions broke apart his family crashed down on him and he couldn't help but just stand there for hours, asking 'what if's to himself over and over, mourning over Ariana's death despite the fact that he knew he couldn't do anything to change it. That was one of the reasons why he was anxious to whether Harry would keep his promise to never come back as he knew the effects of the Mirror first hand. He had checked the next following week to make sure the Gryffindor had indeed kept his promise and was immensely relieved he didn't seem to be as badly affected as he first feared. But now, with both of his parents back, he hoped Harry could have a proper homelife, another reminder of his mistakes. He only hoped Harry could forgive him for leaving him with the Dursleys and never checking to see if he was alright.

Mentally shaking his head to clear away all the dark thoughts, Dumbledore turned his gaze towards the united family who were practically smothering Harry with all the huggings. He was glad to see that the boy in question seemed perfectly content and happy for once. He certainly deserved it, but he shuddered to think what Harry's family reactions would be when he revealed that part of Voldemort's soul was inside him and he had to die. He was still finding another solution for this, of course, but so far there was only one way to end the Hocrux which was destroying the object - or in this case, a person - completely. The wizards clearly hadn't found anything else so he was aiming at other magical creatures which was proving to be difficult as they guarded their secrets well and were unwilling to let a wizard know anything about it. He supposed he could ask Remus for the werewolves and maybe Lily and James as they belonged in one of the most powerful family in magical society so they would be at least a bit respected.

Resisting an urge to rub his temple, he turned his attention back to the book. Perhaps it would do him good if he stopped thinking about serious stuff for a moment and if he was very, very lucky, the book might provide answers to his questions, no matter how hopeless that might seem. Ah, well, there was nothing wrong with having hope.

* * *

**I AM SO SORRY! I know, I know. I'm way too late, but life had been crazy for a while and this chapter had been so hard to write for some reason. At least it's extra long to make up for it. To be honest, ****I'm not really happy with this chapter but no matter how hard I tried, it just didn't seem satisfactory to me. But since I wanted to update this story, I just decided to post it like this. ****Hopefully, it doesn't feel too awkward or OOC and it was enjoyable for you to read. ****Did you like it? Hate it? Anything to fix or change? If you have any opinions, please let me know. Thank you so much for reading and please review!**


	17. Nicolas Flamel

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

**Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone**

**Nicolas Flamel**

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_**[Page 231 - Harry wished he could forget what he'd seen in the mirror as easily, but he couldn't. He started having nightmares. Over and over again he dreamed about his parents disappearing in a flash of green light, while a high voice cackled with laughter.]**_

Everyone had to wince at that, their sympathy for the boy growing. Harry fidgeted under their pitying looks, once again being reminded how much he hated attention. Even his friends were giving him those looks, though at least they tried to be discreet. Nice of them to try, although they were rubbish at it. Sensing his discomfort, Lily put her arms around him from behind, her fingers gently carressing his black locks. Harry subconsciously snuggled into her, his face heating up when he noticed everyone watching his every move but couldn't care less. Besides, his dad and his friends were doing brilliant jobs at scaring them away. He should probably learn how to do that impressive scowl of theirs that would put even Snape to shame. He supposed there was no need to worry since they'll have loads of time together now since they were back-

Harry tensed, suddenly overwhelmed by doubts and troubling thoughts. Were his parents actually back or whoever - or whatever - returned them would whisk them off by the end of the reading? It didn't seem too impossible, considering all the things that went wrong in his life when it started looking good. So was all this just for the show? Just to let him have a taste of what his life would be like with his parents by his side and take it all away? He didn't know what kind of state he would be when - _if_, he angrily corrected himself - that actually happened and he was also concerned for Sirius and Remus. He knew they saw his dad as their brother, and if he died for the second time, they would never stop blaming themselves for allowing it to happen again, regardless of it not being their fault. But how could he stop it? It wasn't like he could just persuade or fight someone that he knew nothing about, but he couldn't just let his parents go again, he would never forgive himself for that-

"What's wrong?"

Harry started, his gaze snapping up to meet the warm green eyes of his mother. She looked concerned, small creasing of her eyebrow giving it off as well as the slight down-turned lips. Glancing to the side, he saw his dad frowning as well, and realized that he was shaking slightly, his hands clenchd into fists. He quickly unclenched them, smiling reassuringly for their benefit. "Nothing. Just thinking, that's all."

They looked unconvinced, but dropped the subject for now. Which he was relieved about, since he didn't want to tell his fears in front of hundred pairs of ears listening in - not that his secrets were guarded at the moment. He knew there wouldn't _be_ a secret left for him to keep by the end of the reading session that no one knew about; heck, everyone would know his secrets that _he_ didn't even know about. Speaking of secrets, he really should work on how to prevent the DA members from getting expelled, but that seemed near impossible with the book being the proof itself. Hermione and he would get even more harsh punishment as they had lied about the whole thing before and Harry couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He knew how much education mattered to her and she would be absolutely devastated if she got kicked out of Hogwarts.

Harry sighed, deciding to visit those thoughts later on. All these thinking were making his head hurt and now wasn't the greatest time to concentrate. He decided to just let the sensation of his mom's soft fingers and enjoy watching his friends' creative ways of scaring people. Honestly, he should really stop Sirius from acting like a madman and the others adding special effects like blood and fake knieves(Really, can't they see how awkward he was handling an axe and they didn't even feel pain when it just went through them? He supposed wizards weren't that observant or common sense. There wasn't any other explanation because if not, at least one of them would have noticed how they can't run like that if it was a real knife that sliced their legs. The horror movies that Dudley used watch was much more believable than _that)_. He had already made several students cry, and that certainly wouldn't work in his favor when someone tried to prove his 'guiltiness' again. He really should do it now... Just after watching him scaring few Slytherins... And Ravenclaws... And Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs... And the most aggressive ones about proclaiming he was crazy and Voldemort wasn't back... Fine, he wasn't really going to but could you really blame him? He never denied there wasn't a Slytherin in him and besides, it would be rude to ruin their fun.

* * *

_**[Page 232 - "Will you stop messing around!" he yelled. "That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!" ****George Weasley really did fall off his broom at these words.]**_

Charlie snorted in amusement at that, glancing at his younger brother. "That's got to have hurt."

"Damn right, it did." George muttered, grimacing as he recalled the dreadful taste of mud in his mouth. "I really wasn't expecting that and Oliver really should have told us when we were on the ground, safe and sound without any danger of falling face-first to the ground." The former Quidditch Captain stuck out his tongue at the younger Gryffindor, ignoring Angelina muttering, "very mature".

"Well, you should have been focusing. During the match, it takes only one second of distraction for the opposing team to gain points! Giving your full attention to your surrounding and not letting anything distract you is essential for winning-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Fred cut him off, looking bored. "Essential key for victory, concentration, cooperation between your teammates et cetera, et cetera. Honestly, Oliver, we can recite your speech on Quidditch from sleep from how much you've drilled into our heads."

"Want us to give it a go?" George piped up, their eyes glinting mischievously. Katie and Angelina immediately lunged to cover their mouths, knowing from experience that if they started their parody of Oliver's speech, it would result in heated protesting and argument of the importance of Quidditch and how they should be not insulting the brilliant sports (Oliver) and proclamation of Oliver's romantic interest in the sports (the twins, of course). Harry grinned at the utter relief on the girls' faces, understanding their desperate need to stop yet another fight. No need to repeat the whole broom fiasco. The Weasley twins had jinxed Oliver's broom to have kiss marks all over it and to make a preening sound everytime the Gryffindor sat on it which he, in return, pranked them back for their skin to be in boisterous neon pink and 'I LOVE Quidditch!' in sparkly rainbow color on their forehead with their hair pulled back so the writing was shown clear. As they pranked back and forth, the rest of the Quidditch team members were caught in the middle. They had to bear the glaring of their Head of the House and try to prevent their prank war spreading to other people while being accidentally pranked themselves from time to time. It had taken two weeks, tons of death threats, some physical violence inflicted willingly by the girls and chunks of House points and piles of detentions being thrust upon them that they finally stopped.

"Well, must have been a quite shocker for you. Loads of pressure, no doubt, since his favoritism isn't quite a secret." Bill commented, leaning back with his arms behind his head, effectively bringing their conversation on track.

"You can say that again." Katie groaned, pulling a face as she remembered that time. "Oliver ran us ragged non-stop for _hours_. I swear he would've continued doing so if it wasn't for madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall setting up limit for maximum practice time. I bet that was the first time anyone had to stop someone from practicing _too much_."

"Oi!" Oliver yelled indignantly, his cheeks flushed up in bright red, but even he couldn't deny the fact. The rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch members snickered in response.

* * *

_**[Page 233 - "Pretend to break your leg," Hermione suggested.** **"Really break your leg," said Ron.]**_

"Real charming friends you've got there, Harry." Dean snorted, shaking his head disbelievingly. "I see why you three get along so much. You all lack common sense. Well, except for Hermione but she also can't be called 'normal'. "

"Thank Merlin you didn't listen to them!" Oliver burst out and Angelina nodded along. "Yeah, just because you don't like the referee doesn't mean you can abuse yourself like that-"

"If you had backed out, Gryffindor would have lost because of our loss of seeker." Angelina stopped, rounding on her former Quidditch Captain with a scandalized expression on her face. "That's what you're worried about?"

"Yeah, why? Something wrong?" Oliver looked genuinely confused, and it took him few minutes of everyone staring at him incredulously that he finally got it. "Oh, right! Yeah, Harry, you shouldn't break your leg just because you don't want to participate in the game." He amended, his face flushed in bright red. Angelina sighed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Honestly, Oliver. Sometimes I wonder if it's okay to leave you like this. I mean, your obsession with Quidditch too much to be healthy. Maybe you should go see a healer." She suggested, half-serious, half-joking.

"Says the girl who's as obsessed as Wood." George coughed, easily blocking a horn tongue hex aimed at his direction.

* * *

_**[Page 235 - "I've found him!" he whispered. "I've found Flamel! I told you I'd read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here - listen to this: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'!"]**_

"You searched the whole library, including the Restricted Section with the risk of detention, only to find the information on a _chocolate card?_" Hannah exclaimed incredulously, not able to believe how easy it _should_ have been for them to find the information but only stumbled upon it after months of exhausting research in the library.

"Story of my life." Harry muttered sullenly, picking at the hem of his shirt. Susan patted his back comfortingly, genuinely sympathetic for him. Anyone would be frustrated and outraged when months of hardworking turned out to be for nothing. His whole life seemed like a twisted comedy with a tint of thriller and spoons of adventure added to the mix. No offence to him but that book about his life would have been a bestseller if it was published. Or get forbidden by the Ministry for all the dangerous stunts those three pulled and little kids - and some immature adults - trying to copy them.

"If we just ate some Chocolate Frogs, we could have avoided going to that library." Ron sighed mournfully, longing for the time he'd lost researching when he could have been doing other things. "Such a waste of time."

Hermione rolled her eyes, tired of his attitude. "Stop whining, Ron. Besides, it was a good learning experience for all of us and we learned a lot about wizard and witches through the ages."

"Yeah, because learning about the dead people's lives are _so_ important." Seamus mocked, rolling his eyes. "Anything else is much productive than sitting there and staring at the printed dead tree until your eyes fall out. What's the point of reading anyways? You can just ask someone or watch a movie about it."

Harry and Ron exchanged looks, alarmed as they knew right away he had said a forbidden word in front of one of the most famous book lover in the entire Wizarding World.

"Should we warn him?" Harry winced worriedly, looking up at Ron like a lost puppy.

"Are you kidding? I'm not going near them, just look at her!" Ron jerked his chin towards Hermione who was practically _glowing_ in her anger, her eyes blazing and looking like a Viking warrior ready for war. "Besides, he does kind of deserve what's coming next. It's his fault that he pissed her off and he kept insulting you from the first day of school. Don't think I didn't notice how he and his group of friend tried to corner you during the first week. Why do you think I didn't leave your side all that time?"

"Oh... You noticed then?" Harry blushed, scratching his head ruefully. While he had been grateful for Seamus and his gang backing off, he hadn't realized Ron had done it on purpose. Guess he should really give him more credits. "So we're not going to interfere?"

"Nope. Come on, we should probably scoot towards that side. Don't want her to round on us."

"Yeah. You get Ginny, Luna and Neville, I'll get Hannah, Susan, and the twins. Oh, and Dennis and Colin, too."

"I thought you didn't like their attention." Ron teased but immediately went to the mentioned three, dragging them by their arms to where adults were sitting, Harry right behind him.

"What the hell?" George hissed, frowning when Harry pushed them behind the astounded adults, yelping when Hannah tripped and landed on top of him. "Look at that and tell me that isn't dangerous."

Ron jerked his chin towards Hermione who seemed to have swirls of black energy coming out of her. People near her shivered, wondering about the sudden drop of temperature and the urge to run and hide. The twins' mouth turned into a perfect shape of 'o' as they as they recognized the kind of danger the foolish Gryffindor had gotten himself into, they immediately followed Harry and their brother's act of defense: hiding behind the adults and praying to every single Gods and Goddesses in existence to not let them get involved. They knew exactly what was going to happen and they had no wish to experience it ever again. So instead of resisting, they helped the two to conceal others behind the grown ups, clutching their shoulders to prevent them from moving and revealing their hiding position.

"Harry, what-?" Remus tried to turn around to face the emerald eyed teen but was stopped by an index finger to his lip and a pleading look from Harry. He frowned to let him know he still didn't know what was going on but faced forward again as he trusted Harry to not fool around without any particular reason.

"I mean, really, what's the point of having a library at a magical school? No one goes there except for the Ravenclaw nerds and geeks like Granger." Seamus continued on, still not realizing the fact that he was digging his own grave. Harry and Ron snapped and had to be held back to avoid physical injuries and possible murder, at least not in public and especially not in front of Umbridge. On the contrary, Hermione merely stared at him, her lips stretching into a smile. Harry paled, abandoning his plan to give Seamus a piece of his mind reluctantly and scooted near the adults. He recognized that icy smile as the calm before the storm and if there was one thing he learned from his years with Hermione, it was to _never_ be near her when she was furious.

"Well, then, Seamus." The said teen froze, recognizing her tone as the approaching danger. Unfortunately for him, he didn't listen to the alarm bells ringing inside his head and foolishly pushed on, facing her with a scowl. If he noticed the teens huddled up behind the adults, he didn't seem to take that as a warning even if Hermione's best friends were amongst those who had taken refuge there. "What?"

Ron winced, knowing Seamus won't survove this unscathed. If that was him - though he had no wish to be at the wrong end of Hermione's temper - he would practically beg for forgiveness before it was too late.

"Just to clarify, you think reading is a useless activity and we should ban all the books from this such a wonderful magical world where you can just ask a magic mirror or floo call someone for information. Or you could just watch a movie or TV since you are well accustomed to the muggle world instead of picking up a book and urging your brain to translate the symbols written on it into words, is that right?"

"Yeah, so? What are you gonna do? Throw a book at me?" Seamus sneered, though his voice was hesitant and unsteady as he started to realize his mistake of provoking Hermione. She was very powerful and knew loads of curses that she can use. He frowned when he saw the seat next to him wasthat was usually occupied by Dean was empty and found him far away. He mouthed, _good luck_, and tried to smile at him reassuringly but it came out more like a grimace of pain.

"Contrary to your belief, there are many people who love reading and we, like me, take insult to our books as a personal offense. And you, Finnigan, managed to unite all of us to give you some lesson. You'll never be able to speak badly about our books ever again after we're done with you."

Seamus gulped audibly, his face paling as he finally realized the seriousness of his situation. Now he thought about it with a clear mind, it was a _very_ bad idea to insult books in front of Hermione but in front of a hall full of book lovers? It would be a better idea to jump in front of Voldemort and show him a picture of a nose. At least that guaranteed him a quick, clean death - this was far from clean.

He desperately looked around to see if there were any way to get out of this mess but what he saw only made his stomach drop. From the High Table Madam Pincers glared viciously as if he had insulted her baby right in her face, which wasn't far from truth actually. Every Ravenclaws, half of Slytherins and fair amount of Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors all glared at him, ready for war.

Harry felt slightly sympathetic for him, knowing how vicious Hermione could be when she was determined for revenge. Forget Voldemort, it would be a miracle if he stayed sane after tonight. Harry only wished she wouldn't go to far to actually make physical injuries or cause any serious mental harm. After all, he and Ron also wished to extract revenge on the teen - he had insulted her which was far from okay - and they couldn't do that if he was sent to St. Mungos.

* * *

_**[Page 235 - "I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."** **"Light ?" said Ron...]**_

"For once I agree with my brother. How on Merlin's name can that be considered _light_?" Ginny looked incredulously at the older girl whose face had turned pink. "And how the hell are you not in Ravenclaw? Not at I want you to go but I mean, really? What was the Sorting Hat thinking?"

"Debatable." The males of the trio mumbled under their breath, earning a light smack from Hermione. "Ow! Hermione!" Harry whined, rubbing his head with his lower lip sticking out in a pout.

"What? It's true and you know it!" Ron protested, scrambling backward in order to avoid the witch. Even Neville nodded in agreement, having had the experience which proved she wasn't just a bookworm. She was a bookworm who had the ability to use all the knowledge she had to fight against whoever she needed to and _win_. "Yeah, I still can't forget the time when you put Full Body Bind Curse on me. I had to stay like that for hours until you came back and did the counter jinx. That still comes up during my nightmares you know."

"I'm really sorry about that Neville. I honestly forgot about the whole incident with what happened that night." Hermione winced, nervously chewing her bottom lip. She still felt terrible for leaving Neville alone in the Common Room and not even remembering him. To be fair, a lot of things had happened that day but it still didn't help her feel any better.

"I told you, she is _dangerous_." Ron grinned in triumph but that quickly melted into fear as she rounded on him with her wand in hand. "Whoa! _Ouch! _Hermione, can't we just talk this out - _ow! _That hurt!"

"It was _supposed_ to hurt, you moron!"

"You are one hell of a bloodthirsty woman!"

"Ron, if I catch you I swear I won't be held responsible for what happens to you."

"_ACK!_ Harry, help!"

The Gryffindor pretended not to hear the cry of help as he had no wish to be included in the fight that Hermione was sure to win. Knowing the exact things his friend was capable of from all the years he had spent with her - she had punched Malfoy, after all, who seemed to remember the incident since he was subconsciously rubbing his cheek - he had no wish to be subjected to her wrath. Besides, Ron had brought this himself, what with calling her dangerous and all. Thus, why he was the only one calmly listening to the book as his two best friends were fighting, or more correctly, one hexing the other into oblivion, while the others watched the fight in varying degree of concern of the boy's safety.

* * *

**_[Page 236- "Nicolas Flamel," she whispered dramatically, "is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone!"]_**

"Philosopher's Stone?" The whole Ravenclaw students gasped in shock, immediately talking to their neighbors in excited chatter. Terry smacked his own forehead in exasperation at himself. "I should have known. How could I have been so stupid? It was staring right at my face!"

"No wonder Snape was after it! Who wouldn't? Even I want it." Cho exclaimed to Marietta, their eyes gleaming at the though of gold and immortality. "I know right? I wonder if Harry has it now. I mean, it's obvious he'll try to protect it, so maybe he got the stone?" Marietta glanced at the raven haired teen, her desire showing on her face.

"I get that all of you are all wise and smart but is anyone willing to share with the class?" Lee Jordan asked aloud if a bit petulantly at being left put of conversation. Terry was the first to answer, perking up at the opportunity to share his knowledge.

"The Philosopher's Stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal." He recited, having memorized the explanation from the book word by word. Sirius let out a low whistle, looking impressed. "I can see why that was moved to Hogwarts for protection."

"Being rich and living forever isn't the most important things in life. Many don't realize that. They should stop chasing pointless dreams and start pursuing things that's really worth it." Luna shook her head sadly, her usually dreamy eyes narrowed into slight frown. "Some devote their whole life for money or for probation. They don't realize that in the process they lose their family until it's too late." At this, she looked directly at Percy, who ducked and avoided her unnaturally sharp gaze that seemed to pierce right through him, similar to Dumbledore's. Forcing himself to ignore her gaze, he pretended to scribble some notes on his parchment, where he had written down some major happenings of the book; well, not exactly a book as it was Harry Potter's life written on paper so perhaps a biography of some kind.

Mrs. Weasley bit her lip, betrayal of her son still cutting her deep and she couldn't help but blame herself for being part of the reason why he chose such way. If she had just raised him more correctly and showed him that grade and money wasn't everything, he might be sitting next to them, laughing with them instead of next to the that idiotic Minister, unable to even bear to look at his own family-

Her train of thoughts were abruptly halted by her husband who placed comforting hand on her shoulder. Thanks to all those years those years they've lived together, he knew exactly what she was thinking. He also blamed himself and he couldn't - _wouldn't_ \- let her suffer through it alone.

The Weasley siblings fell unnaturally quiet, their lips set into hard line and their hands clenched so tightly that their knuckles had turned white. Even the twins sat still, not hint of a laugh on their usually cheerful faces. They might act silly and untactful all the time but even they knew when was the right time for jokes and when wasn't and this clearly wasn't the kind of situation that you could soften up by cracking some jokes.

Percy ducked his head behind his parchments, pretending to write down some notes in order to avoid his family's gaze on him. He had been so sure he was on the right side and did everything to ensure his family came with him as well. He yelled at his parents, said insults that he knew would be a dagger to their hearts but voiced them anyways, sent a letter to Ron filled with cruel accusations of Harry even when he was certain the raven-haired teen would read it and did so many awful things that he shouldn't have done. Even then, he didn't really feel guilty because he had no doubt the Ministry was right and if the time came and his family realized their mistake, he wanted to have higher position and power so his family wouldn't have to endure any harsh punishments, which was why he was so eager and did his best to everything even if it was simple things. But now, sitting here and listening to Harry Potter's life, the one he had thought of his brother once, the one he had hurt when he should have been smart enough to realize slandering a _child_ wasn't the right way, the one who glanced at him every now and then with those emerald eyes filled with betrayal, hurt, anger_, _guilt and so much _pain, _he wasn't so sure of his choices. He wished he could be there next to his family, laughing at some silly joke his siblings said but it was too late for that. The Minister wouldn't let him go, he might even go as far as to fire both him and his father and slander their family's name. Then what would happen to the rest of his family?

* * *

**_[Page 237 - "Just as long as we're not wiping you off the field," said Hermione.]_**

"Hermione! I thought you were the sensible one in the group!" Katie exclaimed, looking scandalized. "No wonder he looked so pale at the game. He looked like the grim reaper came and told him he was going to die that day or something."

"Grim reaper?" George cocked his head to the side, frowning slightly. Katie paused, just realizing he was a pureblood - unlike most who acted like a real git. "Grim reaper is the personification of Death. It looks kinda like a dementor with its black cloaks and being a skeleton and brings around this huge scythe. He comes to people who are about to die and brings them to the underworld so I guess it's like the Grim in the Wizarding world."

"Oh?" Fred leaned back, corner of his lips curling up into a smirk. "And do muggles fear this _grim reaper_?" He tried the foreign word, finding a rather nice ring to it.

"Well, yeah, I guess since seeing it means you are about to die." Katie shrugged, squinting suspiciously at his rather savage expression. "Now what are you planning to do? I swear, if you try to break into the girl's dormitory one more time, I'll-"

"Not to worry, my dear darling." George grinned, immediately getting what his twin was thinking. "If you must know, I think my incredibly handsome and unbelievably smart brother has thought of yet another amazing idea of _greeting_ our wonderful guests with. Now, what kind of a host will we be if we keep letting them be on their own?" He gestured to the three Dursleys who were huddled up, leaning as far away from Hagrid and whispering to themselves. Vernon, the most aggressive and unsubtle one, occasionally glared at the direction of his nephew and his friends, muttering something under his breath. He seemed to have forgotten how protective they were of Harry unlike his wife who looked back and forth between them anxiously, chewing on her lips. Dudley didn't seem to notice or care how tense his parents were and only proceeded to search the ground and tables for a Chocolate Frog, freezing whenever something made a shuffling sound or a noise resembling a frog's croak.

Susan and Hannah immediately scooted closer to them, their cheeks flushed in excitement at the thought of another prank. "Well? What's the plan?" Hannah groaned impatiently, drumming her fingers on her thigh in agitation.

"Well, we were thinking-"

"Or rather _I _was thinking." Fred interjected, looking pleased at himself. George rolled his eyes at the smug look on his face but continued, used to his antics. After all, they had been together for their entire life and they knew each other better than themselves.

"_We_ were thinking," he stressed, glaring at his twin, daring him to say otherwise. "since muggles are scared of these - what was it called? Grim ripper? Grim reaper? Yeah, that. We could maybe conjure up an illusion or be disguised as one to scare the living daylights out of them."

"I never thought I would say this to anyone, least of all you two, but guys, that is a _brilliant _plan. I'm in. When do we start?" Hannah grinned wickedly, leaning forward in anticipation.

"As soon as possible." George promised, his own grin matching hers.

"Of course, it wouldn't hurt to, ah, let a few others join in our _welcome party. _I'm sure dear Hermione-"

"-and our darling sister."

"-would have both skill and new ideas to perform these events."

"I'll get Hermione." Susan volunteered, glancing at the mentioned Gryffindor. "She and I are rather good friends, especially after our, um, first welcome party. I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard to convince her."

"And I'll get Ginny. I'm sure she would agree as soon as I tell her about this. But we might have to restrain her a little. The last time we did this, her idea got a bit too much creative. And violent."

"Nothing's too much creative. Violent, well, depends on who you are asking the question to."

"I had no idea I would have so much fun in pranking people. Guess I understand why you two enjoy it so much." Susan grinned, suddenly freezing when she thought about her aunt. "Merlin, my aunt's gonna kill me."

"Nah. We are doing justice so she won't be mad. In fact, I bet she'll be proud and even want to join us." George smirked, glancing at Madam Bones sitting in the High Table. "Actually, that's a great idea! She might be able to tell us about some loopholes so we can place some charms on their houses. Nothing harmful of course. Well... Not physically, at least. Mentally? I can't guarantee that one."

"I'm not even sure their mental states are healthy at the moment. How can anyone neglect their own nephew under the ridiculous excuse of him being 'not normal'? Everyone's different from each other and unique in their own ways so why are they trying to be 'ordinary' so desperately?" Susan shook her head, once again struck by the sheer difference between Harry and his relatives. Thank Merlin he didn't turn out like them, that would have been disastrous.

Amelia Bones watched her niece interacting with her friends fondly all the while she wrote down her own notes. She didn't trust Fudge to be honest enough to not order Percy Weasley to write the things in a way for it to be in his favor. She knew the kind of man he was. He wasn't a genius or a brave man but he wasn't stupid, at least not in politics and gaining advantage. He had criticized Barty Crouch when the whole fiasco with his son happened, earning people's trust and showed them he had connection between them and wouldn't hesitate to tell them if such things happened again. He knew how to twist the facts around and using the contents to keep people's faith in him so he could maintain his position. Even now, he had attacked Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore in all means available to make people lose faith in them and side with him. He may be too much of a coward to face the facts, but he had enough Slytherin traits in him to make him dangerous, especially when he had the power as the Minister of Magic.

* * *

**_[Page 238 - Harry didn't see how he could - yet he sometimes had the horrible feeling that Snape could read minds.]_**

Dumbledore chuckled, his right hand stroking his long beard which he was rather proud of. No one really understood how hard it was to keep it in such good condition. If he didn't care for it for even a single day, it would stick out in every direction and puff up like a angry cat's tail. Hmm, speaking of cat's tails, was Arabella doing okay? He knew she would beat herself up if she learned the Dursleys' treatment of Harry as she had become quite fond of the boy. Although he should probably explain to her that not everyone loved cats as she did and showing a young child pictures of her deceased cats wasn't exactly a good way to form a bond.

Albus shook his head, coming back to the matter at hand. So young Harry had suspected Severus for reading his mind which wasn't so far fetched as it seemed since he is a master in both Occulemency and Legilimency. So he was rather sensitive to Legilimency which was good as it will be easier for him to detect intrusion. But all he could do at best was sense someone in his mind, helpless to do anything but let the other look into his thoughts and memories which brought him to the problem at hand. Harry needed to learn Occulemency in order to protect him from Lord Voldemort. He couldn't teach it himself or Voldemort might force his way further into Harry's mind to learn more about himself which would be fatal to child's mind. Perhaps Severus, then? He is very skilled in the art but the problem was he still couldn't get over his hatred for James and therefore hated Harry and vice versa. So how could he convince the two to get along just for few hours? Hmm... Perhaps he could ask Lily? After all she had always managed to keep Severus, James and Sirius calm during the meeting for the Order.

Speaking of Lily, how could she be here? He was certainly pleased when they appeared, if a lot shocked, but it was very curious thing to ponder about. He had never heard of such thing as bringing back the dead in such manners like this. They weren't even half transparent like the ghosts but flesh and blood like normal human being. He would have to search the library but whoever orchestrated this whole thing - leading Dolores to the book of Harry Potter's life and bringing the Potters back - must be a very powerful being. If he could just figure out who this being is and how and why he or she is doing this... Well, whoever this being was, he found himself looking forward to its next move.

* * *

**_[Page 238 - Harry knew, when they wished him good luck outside the locker rooms the next afternoon, that Ron and Hermione were wondering whether they'd ever see him alive again. This wasn't what you'd call comforting.]_**

"Damn right it isn't." Astoria muttered under her breath. "They should really learn how to properly comfort others without scaring them."

"Language." Daphne chided, but she couldn't hide a smirk tugging at her lips.

"What? You can't honestly blame me for pointing out their obvious lack of skill in emphasizing with others. And people think us Slytherins are awful at it." The younger girl complained, her eyes dimming as she thought of her first attempts at making friends. Daphne sighed, remembering that incident far too well. When she had boarded the Hogwarts Express for the first time, she had befriended quite a lot of kids in her age. Daphne had hidden her House at the time, not wanting to risk destroying the bond her little sister had formed, but turns out all her efforts were for nothing. As soon as Astoria was sorted into Slytherin, all her 'friends' refused to even look at her, some even outright glaring and insulting her right in front of her face. After that, Astoria grew more self-conscious and kept to herself, contrast to her bubbly and outgoing personality she had before.

"At least this whole reading thing is starting to change their opinions about us." Daphne nudged her, trying to lighten her mood. To her relief, she grinned, nodding her head. "Yeah, I guess. I just hope it continues this way and they don't go back to their original attitude." She hummed in agreement, glad that she seemed to be coming out of her shell. But she knew they had to be careful of what they say. With the Dark Lord coming back, they had to be very cautious of their actions lest they be branded as blood traitors and hunted down.

Glancing to the side, she froze when she met a pair of pale grey eyes staring at her. Tense, she subconsciously lifted her chin higher, her face hardening into the mask of Ice Queen, as her House mates say. She stared back at Malfoy with cold, blank eyes but her heart thudded in her chest wildly. She knew it will only take just one word of their conversation for the Dark Lord to hear for them to be severely punished and she knew he knew that. But she would do anything to keep her family safe, even if that meant dueling the heir of Malfoy family.

To her shock and utter relief, Draco only gave her a small smile - not one of the threatening, taunting smile but a real understanding one - and subtly leaned into her. "You should be more careful. Don't want others to get the wrong idea and cause any unfortunate incidents." He whispered, not a trace of malice in his tone, and looked into her eyes briefly, his own eyes filled with genuine concern, before looking away.

She thanked her lucky stars and exhaled slowly, closing her eyes briefly in order to calm her heart. It seemed he wasn't going to rat them out any time soon. Half of the students would faint in shock if they saw what happened here but in reality, almost none of the young Slytherins wanted to join the Dark Lord. They were kids after all and although they were ambitious, they didn't want to go so far to actually kill people. But of course there were some who really believed in what he said and she was lucky Draco wasn't one of them.

Shaking her head to clear her mind, she rested her chin on her sister's head, relaxing her body. "What is it?" Astoria peeked up, frowning at her tired expression. "Nothing. Must have stayed up too late last night." She didn't seem convinced, but she shrugged and focused back to the book as Daphne played with her hair. For now, she would forget all about the Dark Lord and just focus on spending time with her sister. After all, Potter's life was rather entertaining.

* * *

**_[Page 238_ \- _Little did_ _Harry know that Ron and Hermione had been secretly practicing the Leg-Locker Curse. They'd gotten the idea from Malfoy using it on Neville, and were ready to use it on Snape if he showed any sign of wanting to hurt Harry.]_**

"You- what? But I - _what?"_ Harry spluttered, his mind failing to provide him with things to say.

"What? You thought we would just let you go on Quidditch match after what happened last time? Not a chance." Ron scoffed, looking away when he met Harry's eyes, his ears reddening in his embarrassment.

Hermione grinned fondly at how her two boys were so easily flustered when confronted with emotional situation. Harry looked so moved and touched by such a small act of concern for him while Ron tried to play it cool but the anxious fiddling with the hem of his robe and the corner of his lips twitching upwards betrayed him. She found them rather adorable that she wanted to tease them mercilessly but decided against it lest she ruin the moment between the two. She knew how much Ron had beat himself up after their fourth year. Especially because of the slight tension between the two that fortunately vanished after few weeks but that didn't stop Ron from blaming himself again. The last thing she would do was interrupt their bonding moment so he would stop looking so guilty from time to time. Honestly, it wasn't only Harry who had the whole 'all of this is my fault so I have to take the full responsibility' problem.

"Um... Thanks, I guess. No, really, I really am grateful." Harry grinned bashfully, scratching his head. Ron shrugged, muttering back, "you're welcome", still not looking up from his apparently very fascinating robe which he had worn for years. Of course there must be something he hadn't noticed after all this time even with the chance of studying the fabric all those years. Really, she wasn't judging him, why would she ever do that?

"I'm just thankful you didn't have to use it." Sirius sighed, massaging his temple. Knowingly or unknowingly, he effectively saved the two Gryffindors from the awkward silence, which they were grateful for. "I don't think I'll be able to let you fly on the broom anymore. And that's big coming from me. Wait, did you fall off your broom after that?" He squinted suspiciously at his godson, not able to relax until he knew for sure he didn't get into any more trouble whilst playing Quidditch.

"I didn't fall off my broom that you don't know of." Harry was quick to assure, recalling the incidents. Twice in his first year, none in his second year - well, he did get hit by a bludger but he didn't exactly _fall _off his broom - once in his third year but Sirius saw that - probably. Maybe he left before he saw that but he was _not_ going to remind him of that now - Quidditch was cancelled in his fourth year and he was banned to participate in the game by Umbridge at the moment. So yeah, technically he didn't fall off that Sirius didn't know of. His parents and Remus on the other hand... Well, surely they could handle one tiny more surprise?

* * *

**[Page 239 - Harry could have laughed out loud with relief He was safe. There was simply no way that Snape would dare to try to hurt him if Dumbledore was watching.]**

Dumbledore was touched at the sheer faith Harry had in him, which made him feel even more guilty at how he had avoided him all year. And if what he suspected was right, he had to die in the end by Lord Voldemort to end the war that was sure to occur. Harry had fought his foe so many times to stay alive and save his friends and yet he had to give himself in to protect his loved ones.

He sighed, everything going exactly as he predicted but he did not feel victorious or proud. He was just a manipulative man who made everyone into chess piece, orchestrating people to go to the exact place he wanted them to be at the precise time and still held onto his kind grandfather mask. Although it was for the greater good and other's it still didn't make him feel less of a monster to push a young boy into his ultimate death without him knowing and just watch.

Sometimes, he had to wonder if he was any better than Tom Riddle. Lord Voldemort stood in the front line, creating fear and chaos while leading his army to the battlefield with the strategy to win. He, on the other hand, stood in the back, predicting people's every move and moved them like chess pieces. They were the exact opposites, yet the same.

Aberforth would call him a monster for his actions along with everyone else if they saw his true-self and he had to agree. What kind of a person would plan such a terrible fate for a young child unless he was a monster himself? He didn't even check on young Harry to see if he was adjusting well and as ashamed as he was to admit this, but a dark part of him wanted the Dursleys to mistreat him so in the future he won't have any trouble for laying himself down to save the others who were worth much more than him.

He closed his eyes briefly, heaving a yet another sigh. Every time, he had to ask himself if he was actually worthy of calling himself the leader of the Light. His own sister had been brutally murdered for his foolishness of believing in the greater good and trying to pursue it and yet here he was, aged into an old man but not any wiser. This time, he was willing to sacrifice a child for winning the war, for the greater good even after the his big mistake. What did that say about him?

Opposite to people's belief, he wasn't perfect, far from it, in fact. He made mistakes, he was never sure of the choices he made and he desperately wanted to confess his plans to someone. But he could never allow himself for if he told the wrong person, thousands of innocent lives would perish and he could not risk that. Even if the person agreed with him and swore on his life to keep it a secret, it was still awful as he would feel the guilt every second and it would destroy him from the inside. He had no wish to place such a burden to another, better for him to bear it alone.

"Albus? Are you well?" He turned to meet Minerva's concerned gaze and had to chuckle to himself, her incredulous look making him chuckle harder. It was so like her, always looking after her cubs, clawing at anyone who dared to come near. Hmm, did that make him her cub as well? He certainly could imagine himself with a cat's ears and a tail, his white whiskers trailing on the floor as he walked. Oh, it seemed his laughter was worrying her as well as others. Better to assure nothing was wrong with him then, before one of them do anything drastic.

"I am perfectly fine. Why wouldn't I be?" He winked, smiling when she rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the book. His mood dimmed slightly but decided to save those dark thoughts for later, when he was alone in his office in the company of his pensive and his trusty companion, Fawkes.

For now, he had to focus on finding a way to stop Dolores and Cornelius from using Harry's life against him. He already had to deal with his entire life being read to the entire school, some which he doesn't even no about for it was about his possible future and it was no secret that as soon as the control over the post owls were lifted, the information would spread across the whole world in less than a day. After all, Harry was a hero not only to Britain but also to many other countries as well. The last thing he needed was people twisting around the facts and creating some wild stories to humiliate the boy. It was the least he could do for Harry to try to stop the situation from happening.

* * *

**_[Page 240 - Ron snapped. Before Malfoy knew what was happening, Ron was on top of him, wrestling him to the ground. Neville hesitated, then clambered over the back of his seat to help.]_**

All Weasley siblings stared at Ron, their jaws hanging open and their eyes so big that he feared they'll fall out. Bill had almost fallen off his own chair in his shock, scrambling to stop himself from falling down.

"You-" Charlie choked on his own spit, struggling to complete the sentence. "You fought Draco Malfoy? _You?_ "

"Yeah, I bloody well did." Ron scowled, offended by his disbelieving tone. "Problem?"

Ginny whistled, looking at her brother in new light. "I never knew you had that in you." Strangely enough, that didn't soothe his nerve.

"Why are you so surprised about that anyways?"

"You always scream like a girl because of a tiny spider." She deadpanned, her eyebrow raised in a manner that said 'are-you-seriously-asking-me-this'. "I admit, I thought you were so brave and unshakable before but the first time you ran away screaming your head off because of a spider - which, mind you, was barely larger than my thumbnail - was the day my fantasy was shattered. That was when I was six and I had hard time trusting you from then."

"It's not my fault Fred and George turned my teddy bear into a giant spider!" Ron protested, his face reddening in embarrassment as well as anger. George scowled, jabbing his youngest brother in the chest with his finger. "Oh, and _you_ didn't do anything wrong?" Fred hmphed in agreement, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I was _three_! What was I supposed to do?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe don't touch your brother's stuff like you're told to?" Fred shot back sarcastically, still upset over the whole affair. That toy broom was their favorite, earned after years of begging and pleading and months of sacrificing their play time for doing chores. And just when their mom finally bought it for them, Ron had to go and ruin it, hours and hours of hardwork gone just like that.

"Look who's talking. You have no regard to my privacy whatsoever and now you're telling me to respect yours? I don't think so."

"I'm older than you! Of course you have to respect your older sibling!"

"Well, I'm younger than you so you need to respect mine!"

"_MUM!_" The three of them yelled in sync, rounding on Mrs. Weasley to decide who was right all the while shooting off insults to each other. Mr. Weasley quietly dragged his seat farther away from them while trying not to look like he was running away. Needless to say, he was failing miserably and was caught by his wife before he could even get three inches away.

James winced, seeing himself in Arthur's place. Choosing instead to change the subject rather than to continue watching the scene, he turned to Neville, clapping his shoulder a little too enthusiastically. "Well done to you, too! Keep standing up for yourself, yeah? Now back straight, chin up, and give us a confident smile."

Neville blinked, doing as he was told albeit a bit hesitantly. Lily grinned fondly, glad that the shy child seemed to get out of his shell. Alice and Frank were good friends of theirs and she heard what happened to them. The poor boy had experienced the same thing as Harry, if not worse. She had considered adopting him as she knew James wouldn't reject the idea. In fact, he would get the necessary forms himself all the while chattering on top of his lungs about how great it would have another son and what kind of stuff he'll do together and where they'll travel to and what kinds of presents he'll buy him. But Albus assured that Ausgusta was raising him. She was a nice person though a bit conservative and stubborn and they were on friendly terms with each other. She should pay her a visit soon as she wouldn't know what was happening in the school as Umbridge was controlling the floo network and mails.

Umbridge would probably isolate the whole school and let no information slip out until she find a concrete fact that she and Fudge can use against Harry and Albus. Honestly, those Ministry idiots never learn a lesson. They would probably come to their help pleading and beggin when Voldemort finally reveals his presence. Well, good luck to them as she had absolutely no inkling to let them make her son like a war hero ready to fight for them when it was only yesterday they slandered him mercilessly.

"Uh, Mrs. Potter?"

A squeak of plea stopped her trail of thoughts as she turned to meet Neville's nervous eyes. "Call me Lily, please."

"Umm, well, the thing is Mr. Potter-" He trailed off, his face morphing into grimace. He didn't need to add anything more as the situation was clear. James was chattering nonstop that reminded her of the incident when he got sugar high once - it involved Truth or Dare with Sirius, a giant hole in the wall, handful of terrified screaming muggles, hoards of angry muggle police and exasperated members of the Order. Needless to say, she never let him near any candy from that day - and was currently telling Neville about the pranks he and his friends had pulled. It was rather interesting, but the way how James and put his arm around his shoulder and how close his face was, it would be overwhelming for anyone, let alone Neville who was a very shy child. Plus, the man next to him was dead only few days ago.

"James, cut the poor boy some slack. You're scaring him which isn't surprising considering your history of interacting with strangers." Lily grinned slyly when he blushed to the root of his hair.

"That was an accident! How was I supposed to know muggles weren't used to see a pet owl?"

"You complained, very loudly as I recall, about how your owl had a bad temper and never delivered your post on time to a muggle as a conversation starter." Lily raised her eyebrow at him challengingly, effectively rendering him silent. She grinned, giving Neville a wink over her husband's shoulder who was struggling to find a reasonable excuse to his behavior, receiving a grin in return.

* * *

**_[Page 240 - she didn't even notice Malfoy and Ron rolling around under her seat, or the scuffles and yelps coming from the whirl of fists that was Neville, Crabbe, and Goyle.]_**

"Nice concentration, Hermione. Now I finally know your secret for getting full marks for every single exams." Ron drawled, ducking in order to avoid a smack aimed at his head. "But seriously, some help would have been appreciated. In case you haven't noticed, it was me and Neville against those three, two of them not lacking anything in size and strength to be a bodyguard."

"You won, haven't you? And besides, Neville fought Crabbe and Goyle, not you. You only fought against Malfoy." Hermione didn't bat her eye at his whine, far too used to it to genuinely feel sorry, and managed to land a blow on him. "You two were great, but I wouldn't recommend doing it again any time soon."

Neville blushed, ducking down to hide his face while Ron grinned from ear to ear like an idiot. Hermione giggled, them looking exactly like two puppies who got praised by their owner for the first time. "Aww, who's a good fighter? You are." She cooed, scratching his chin like one would do to a dog. With a startled yelp, Ron jumped backwards, almost falling off his chair in his haste, his face completely red. "What the - Hermione!"

"What? I just wanted complimented you for doing a such a good job against those three." She blinked innocently, her eyes round in fake shock. Neville was having difficulty in breathing because he tried to suppress his laughter. Harry coughed, effectively getting their attention, though Hermione looked very reluctant to give up the opportunity to tease Ron.

"Hate to interrupt your fun but Umbridge is looking at us and I suggest changing the topic before you get detention for 'harming your fellow students in an unfair fight'. I don't know about you but I don't want to spend more time with her anymore than I have to."

They nodded, instantly following his advice. They didn't dare turn around lest they risk her taking off House points for some absurd reasons but they could just picture her face flushed in anger and frustration.

* * *

**_[Page 242 - Harry jumped back on his Nimbus Two Thousand and took off. Gliding silently over the castle he saw Snape enter the forest at a run. He followed.]_**

"Do you always have to know every secret in the world?" Justin face palmed, unable to believe he had followed Snape even when he had suspected he was the one who tried to steal the Philosopher's Stone. If it was really him who had released a troll in a school full of children as a distraction and even risked getting bitten by a giant three-headed dog for a chance of getting the stone, who knew what he might do if he caught a little first year who knew about his plan? "Who knew you were so nosy?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Harry scratched his head ruefully, trying to find an excuse but coming up with none. It was true his curiosity did him more harm than good and it was only thanks to his friends and his luck that he was alive until now. "I really should stop poking my nose into other people's business."

"Nah. You wouldn't be Harry if you don't run around trying to solve mysteries and save people. But you shouldn't run into danger on your own, of course. It's dangerous." Ron quickly added when Hermione elbowed him hard in his ribs. Harry grinned, promising not to do any reckless things much to their relief.

"Oh, come on. Stop talking like I'm the only one who do dangerous things. You two also do it with me."

"Excuse you. Unlike you, I try to stop you before going with you and even then I try to plan before running head first into some poisonous creatures." Hermione hmphed, crossing her arms across her chest with one eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, and what're we supposed to do, sit there and watch you run into your possible death?" Ron snorted. "Never happening."

"Well, I'm glad I have you two with me to stop me from doing anything stupid."

"You better be grateful. We don't even ask to be paid after all those hard work we do."

* * *

_**[Page 243 - An owl hooted loudly and Harry nearly fell out of the tree. He steadied himself in time to hear Snape say, '-your little bit of hocus locus. I'm waiting.]**_

"You really shouldn't jump to conclusions before you have all the fact, Harry." Luna chided gently. "You never what information you might be lacking or if the nargles are trying to fool you. They have a queer interest on trying to confuse humans. Apparently our reactions amuse them."

"I won't throw accusations around without having a concrete proof first." Harry promised, the blonde smiling back in return. Ginny grinned, happy that he was taking in her strange quirks so well. So many bullied her merely because of her strange habits and belief and it was a relief to see her have a friend besides herself. "Hey, now that I think about it, you remind me of Alice in _Alice in Wonderland._"

Ginny exclaimed, recalling the muggle book Hermione had lent her last summer. It was about a strange world filled with even stranger characters even to her standards and she reckoned the author had a distant family who was a wizard to have such a wild imagination. She liked it and asked Hermione if she ever heard of magical mushrooms which could shrink or enlarge someone, much to her amusement.

"I bet you'll be best friends with the Mad Hatter. Your personalities match well together, I think." Dennis chirped excitedly, the book being his favorite book. One of his childhood dreams was to find the rabbit hole to the Wonderland and he had hoped the wizards knew of some kind of portal to the world only to be disappointed when they didn't even know what he was talking about.

"Now that you mention it, she really would adjust perfectly in there." Harry laughed, having watched the Disney movie while Dudley watched it as he served breakfast to his relatives. It just felt right for Luna to be with the Hatter, drinking tea and sitting under a tree while having a serious discussion with the Cheshire Cat about why cats could evaporate when humans can't.

"Wonderland?" Luna cocked her head to the side, her grey eyes round with curiosity. "It sounds like a wonderful place full of wonder. I think I'll like that book."

"Trust me, you'll love it." Hermione grinned, happy that someone took interest in literature. "I'll let you borrow it if you want, I have it in my trunk. I'll bring it here tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, Hermione. I would like that."

* * *

_**[Page 243 - "Very well," Snape cut in. "We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie."]**_

"Professor Snape tried to steal the Philosopher's Stone?" Dennis squeaked, his eyes wide and alarmed at the fact as did most of the first years. Colin glanced anxiously at the Potions Master, bitiing on his thumbnail which was torn apart into awful shape from how much he had chewed on it during the past few minutes. "Does that mean he's immortal?"

The Weasley twins looked absolutely scandalized at the mere thought of it, shuddering in displeasure with their nose scrunched up as if they've smelled something awful. "You mean he'll be teaching at Hogwarts forever? Ew. No thank you."

That was all they got to say before Lily smacked them soundly on their heads, scolding them for not respecting their professor. They howled in pain, doubling over while clutching their sore heads, few drops of tears trailing down their cheeks. "You didn't have to hit that hard!" George protested, groaning in a poor attempt to appeal her sympathy. Fred couldn't even say anything from the inflicted pain and only kept moaning. Lily daily ignored the two thanks to years of experience with having to live with James and Sirius.

Instead, she turned to look at her childhood friend. Yes, they fought and had a huge fallout but he had apologized for that, far too much in fact, and just one argument couldn't destroy their years of friendship just like that. He was the only one she could tell about her unique power and trust him to keep it a secret and not look at her strangely or call her a freak and she was the same to him. It was also thank to him that she wasn't completely lost and confused when she first entered the Wizarding World and she didn't have to worry about being alone in a completely foreign world.

Much to her annoyance, he never looked at her direction, immediately looking away when their eyes met. His posture was tense, ready to spring into action in any moment, his eyes darker with the horrors he have seen, the after effects of the war. She recognized the look on his face, she had seen it in a mirror after an ambush where only she and several others survived. There was guilt as he would probably blame himself for her death and a bit for bullying her son which she would say a few choices of words about. Shock and slight denial lurked behind his eyes as well and she couldn't honestly blame him for that when even she still wasn't completely over the fact that she had somehow came back to life. There was also determination in there, too, which meant either he would do his best to protect her this time around or he would do anything to avoid her for the rest of their lives or both. Well, he should brace himself because she was determined to get her friend back and if she was anything, she was stubborn.

She should probably try to bring Harry and Severus to stay civil to each other. Well, she had managed to get even James and Sirius to stay in friendly terms with Severus and she could do it again. Now for where she should corner him... Hmm, should be somewhere where people don't come often so they can have some privacy and she had a feeling they would have a long conversation.

Snape shivered at the High Table, suddenly having a very bad feeling that he was going to have a nasty shock sometime soon.

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_**[Page 244 - "So you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" said Hermione in alarm. "It'll be gone by next Tuesday," said Ron.]**_

"That's a cheerful way to end the chapter." Neville sighed, eyeing the trio with a suspicious glare. "Why do you three always have to go looking for trouble?"

"We don't go looking for trouble. Harry does." Ron pointed accusing finger at the said Gryffindors who immediately denied it. "I do not!"

"Was there any year that didn't involve any dangerous stunts and just peaceful everyday normal life?"

The three best friends exchanged looks, their guilty silence enough of an answer. "Thought so." Neville sighed again, rubbing a hand over his eyes tiredly. "I swear I'm going to have grey hairs by the time we finish this book and I'm not even sixteen yet!"

"You? What about us? I'm old, technically dead now, and I have to listen to all these crazy thing my own son had done while my wife and me-"

"My wife and I." Remus automatically corrected him, his teacher instinct kicking in even while he wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying.

"-were gone." James finished, letting out a dramatic sigh. "I fear my poor abused heart can't handle all the stress it's going through. I won't even be surprised if it fails me any moment now."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic." Lily rolled her eyes, smacking him on the head. Not even acknowledging his yelp of pain, she rounded on the three of them, her green eyes narrowed, giving off an aura that just screamed _run away while you still can!_ Molly also joined her, her hands on her hips with a look that all the Weasley children knew very well. They could hardly pass three days without receiving that look, after all, but despite how often they were subjected by it, the effects never failed to scare them.

"You three are in serious trouble." The two mothers said in sync, which made the others glance at each other and back out really slowly, not even daring to breathe. Good thing they did because the three Gryffindors had to listen to full lecture of danger, why they should avoid danger, the danger of being in danger, why danger was dangerous and how to avoid danger. It seemed like it would never end and all of them had to let out a sigh of relief they weren't the ones who were receiving it. No matter how Gryffindors craved adventures, they instantly knew this wasn't a risk they were up to. Hufflepuffs knew this was no place for them to step in and Ravenclaws knew better than to draw attention to themselves. Slytherins were adapted to take in the situation and choose the road that gave them the most benefit and right now, their survival instincts were on high alert, warning them from approaching the angry mothers. So unfortunately for them, the trio were on their own for now.

"Do your think they'll ever stop?" Ernie asked to no one in particular. No one answered but just watched the five of them warily like one would look at a battle field. Fred waved aside his concern, knowing fully well how angry and concerned mothers tended to act since him and George were usually the ones to cause it. "They'll chew them out for a bit, yell what might have happened and all the worst case scenario, become teary-eyed and hug them, telling how much they're glad they're still okay and ground them for a month or so. No big deal."

"Looks pretty big to me." Susan muttered, not used to mother's fiery temper.

"Oh, don't worry. It will pass soon. Probably." George added in after thought. "Thanks. That's really reassuring." Susan scowled playfully at him, lightly hitting his arm.

"Well the chapter's finished. Do you think we should tell them before starting?" Bill looked around hesitantly, no one willing to get closer to them.

"Are you kidding? I'm not going near them even if you pay me a million galleons." Charlie shuddered, making a face.

"Guess we'll just start without them, then."

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**I AM SO SORRY! I know, it has been way too long since the last update and I tried to post the new chapter two days before but for some reason it didn't load and the final writing had turned back to the version before I finished editing it. So I had to rewrite it real quick so please bear with me if there are a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes.**

**KoreanMusicFan: **Well, although Poppy did see the scars, Umbridge has full support of the whole Ministry and she has the control over mails and floo network. So even if she somehow manages to get the information out, it will be denied by the Ministry and remember, most of the wizards hate Harry at the moment which is why she won't have big support. So that's why she's keeping that information for later when people start doubting the Ministry.

**Dark Serpent Cat:** Thank you so much for your advice! I realize Fudge does seem to be too quiet considering the situation so I'll make sure to include him more as well. I tried to include Astoria more in this chapter and hopefully it doesn't seem too awkward. As for Aberforth and Ariana, I'll see what I can do.

**I hope this chapter was worth the wait and met up to your standards. I really am sorry for the long wait and hopefully you enjoyed it and it kept you entertained at least a bit. As always, thank you for all of you who have read, reviewed, favorited and followed my story and please let me know what you think. **


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